Chronic Dizziness

The mainstay of treatment is a specialized form of physical therapy that intentionally induces symptoms of dizziness with head movements, moving visual targets, and changes in position. Patients must be motivated to experience discomfort during the early stages of rehabilitation, doing the types of activities that they likely have been avoiding. Time must be spent convincing the patient of the necessity to deliberately provoke dizziness in order for the exercises to work. It is important to not overmedicate with vestibular suppressants, and to treat any co-existing mood or anxiety disorder, as these interfere with the adaptive plasticity that is the basis of successful rehabilitation.