Does vestibular physical therapy wipe other people out?

[Fluffysmom]

I've been trying to do my exercises; I'm very good at being compliant with doctor's or physical therapist's orders/suggestions for the most part.

I find that every time I do these simple little things like focus on an object in front of me and look slowly to the right and left, or putting small post-its on the wall and looking back and forth between them, It wears me out!

I get a headache, feel whirly/woozy, and tired.  I feel like I've been lifting weights with my eyes; the wee muscles ache.

I did all but the ones where I change positions in ways that make me dizzy; I couldn't handle it this evening.  My eyes are jittery, tired, achy, and here I sit at the computer, not exactly wise.

I'm supposed to rest my eyes between each set of movements until there is no dizziness or other symptoms, but if I did that, it would take all day, and I'm supposed to do them twice a day!

Should I call my vestibular PT and ask if this is normal, or just try to tough it out?

Has anyone had similar experiences with vestibular PT?

Kathy

[Fluffysmom]

Thanks for telling me about your experience with vestibular therapy.  I don't feel quite as much like a loser for not being able to do some simple exercises.

I'll keep trying, once a week visits, and see if I can approve.  I have had a very stressful week and with it behind me, maybe I can relax and make the time to do the exercises and then maybe put an ice pack on to ease the headache; I'll ask the physical therapist.

I'll be seeing an oto-neurologist on June 23; hopefully he can help me figure out why I have this dizziness and vertigo.  

I don't know if that helps any with the vestibular physical therapy; I think she (my PT) said that no matter what the cause, her work is just the same.

I really hope it wil help me, too.

I'm sorry it didn't help for you.

Take care,

Kathy

[AMO]

dear   kathy,

yes!
iii diiid vestibuar  rehab for  a year   monthhs (perscriptionns for  4 months at atime  for 3 times) just a little  bbreak bewtween)
i tried so hard because i wanted improovement.
but it never did and wiped me out so badly.

i do remember them caution me at the beginning i may feel as if i would be worse (especially eye exercises), but to keep onn at should be  ok ssoon and be able to do more. it never seeemed to happen

at the time i had 'spell''   were thouuhgt maybe were seizure type events, sometimes in therapy they would be triggered. SOmetimes after. who knows though.

when i began, i thought they were crazy becasue it was never anny kind of therapy i had for other things. the moevements were veyr different and veyr specific.
My PT would work VERY Sloow with me and it still would sennd me over the edge after sessions.
without improvements i felt it was in my best interest not too conintue.

sometimes what can be heelpful to some, can hinder others/
i do hope you gain helpt hrough therapy.
be well, amo

[Fluffysmom]

It sounds like your physical therapist is a good, thorough PT, learning from you, too, about what is too much.  I had a great therapist that started small, and worked me up until I could do all sorts of exercises, even going to the regular gym.

That was a few years ago, and things are different.  My regular physical therapist kept trying to overdo things with me, thinking I should be stronger, have less pain than I do.

I stopped seeing her while I'm seeing this vestibular physical therapist, while still doing the exercises that don't hurt me too much.  :o)

I think a frozen shoulder is when you get adhesions, like scar tissue, inside your shoulder that keep it from moving right, and then gets so painful that you don't want to move it.

That happened to me in 2004, and I got a cortisone injection, which reduced the pain enough that I could get the shoulder moving in PT.  I went ahead with surgery, as I also had a bone spur and some arthritis and other stuff.

Anyway, about the connection between eyes and vertigo; Quix wrote up a beautiful explanation of it, which I don't have the energy to find right now.

Basically, the way we move and stay upright is a coordinated effort between our balance, our vision, and how our muscles and tendons and stuff connect us to our surroundings.  

When something like our balance is off, the other stuff has to do more work.  So, if I have balance issues from inner ear problems or faulty signals from my brain, then I have to rely on my eyes to keep my position in the world stable, upright.

Then my eyes get tired, the muscles are overworked and drift, I get nystagmus, and my vision blurs.  Then my eyes aren't able to do their job properly, either.

I don't think I'm explaining this clearly enough, as I'm really upset by a call from my neuro, but I hope it helps a little.  When I calm down, I'll try to find Quix's explanation.

Hugs,

Kathy

[Wobbly]

I also have a left frozen shoulder that we work on ... it's helping abit..thank goodness... I was in so much pain... and it's getting better..

the first physio and my GP thought it was Bursitis...but this Physio says No..it's a Frozen Shoulder...not sure what the diff is??

take care
wobbly
undx

[Wobbly]

I do a pelvic tilt...sounds like the belly button one you do... she tells me to learn that first...then I added laying down and lifting one leg...then the other... really worked more with my left leg...as that is my weak side...every excercise I do she says I need to do the pelvic tilt to work with my core...

I step on a plate type of thing with a half ball under it..attached... and try to balance myself...not holding onto anything.. but I do have bars to hold onto if I need to.. it works my balance...

I use a BIG ball to sit on and balance myself, then point my toes out..works my legs..etc..sitting there for awhile moving abit to learn more balance....

I have worked on a machine where you lay down on it and put your legs up and push on the plate thing... it's a leg excercise...I did that the first day...it felt good to use my left leg muscles... but I overdid it and ended up needing to get a cold press on the back of my neck and a drink of cool water...needed to rest then..

when I got home, I was exhaused for three days...no homework that week...she hasn't work me that hard since... but I do enjoy the workout I do get.... my legs are so exhausted though..

I'm going to ask about my Vertigo spells, and see what see says, because I feel they could be from my vision as well...and I wonder what that means...

I've never heard of Vertigo caused from Vision??? have you??

take care
wobbly
undx

I have not done any eye movement excercises... I don' t think she has work on the vertigo part yet??

[Fluffysmom]

It sounds like you're already doing some vestibular therapy.  What kind of exercises do you do?

Any of the ones where you follow stuff with your eyes, or look back and forth between two objects, of focus on one object (like a pen) and then look to the right, then left, without moving your head?

I just got dizzy writing about it!   I think a lot of my dizziness is related to my eyes.

Do you do exercises where you move in a way that would normally make you dizzy, then recover, then do it again?

I need to do more core strengthening; it helps with balance and with my lower back issues.  I do one exercise where I kind of sink my belly button towards my backbone, gently pulling with specific muscles.

I need to find more that I can do without straining my back or aggravating nerve entrapment and whatever else causes me pain in my lower right abdomen.

Kathy

[Wobbly]

yes thank you... I will ask my Physio Therapist about it too... I'm seeing her for Vertigo, Balance, and Core strenghthening...??  

thanks for the info
take care
wobbly
undx

[Fluffysmom]

bump, Oh, Wobbly, I answered your question on your own thread.

[Wobbly]

Hi Kathy... tell me more about your Vestibular physical therapy...is that for Vertigo?  I have problems with my vision and find movements really bothers my vision and can make me feel dizzy??  or off balance...

I find it difficult to watch a Hockey game..they move around to quickly or watch American Idol..all the flashing lights and the noise of the people applauding...really bothers me for some strange reason, it didn't awhile ago..but this year it has gotten so bad I have to Mute the TV alot of the time... does this happen to other people??..

would this therapy have anything to do with this??

take care
wobbly
undx