Here are some of my greatest contemplated topics in vestibular rehab for 2011:
1. HINTS to diagnose stroke
2. Pseudospontaneous nystagmus
3. Multicanal BPPV treatment
4. Implications of GERD, Panic Attacks, History of Syncope when treating clients with BPPV
5. Secondary BPPV
6. Stages of BPPV: Dumping, Dumped and Recovery
7. Motion Sickness and BPPV
8. Vertebral Artery Dissection prediction
9. Migraine and other central causes of dizziness
10. Timing of vestibular rehabilitation and neck therapy working with clients with dizziness.
11. Over 200 words used to describe dizziness
12. Nystagmus suppression during normal activities of daily living
13. Spatial disorientation training in younger and older adults
14 Tai Chi to help teach people to relax when off balance
15. Many balance disorders seem to manifest themselves in hyperactive balance performance
16. Imagination, memory and central preprogramming in clients with dizziness
17. Post Concussion Syndrome in the elderly
18. The Highly Sensitive Person with vestibular dysfunction
19. Cardiovascular causes of central and/or peripheral vestibular dysfunction
20 Vestibular Rehab as an examination tool
21. Evaluating the vestibular system using the video eye movement recording device over time to track changes in vestibular function
22. Toxic, metabolic and hormonal causes of peripheral and central vestibular dysfunction
23. Sensory processsing disorders in the adult
Showing posts with label Fighting dizziness and winning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fighting dizziness and winning. Show all posts
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
The Unpredictability is a Killer!
Many individuals perceive their vestibular problems to be unpredictable. One of my clients stated, "The unpredictability is a killer!" My client was not referring to a life threatening problem. However, dizziness can be a sign of a life threatening problem. Individuals with undiagnosed dizziness should either call their Medical Doctor or go to the Emergency Department. Clients who make these types of comments are referring to the terrible, controlling and inconvenient nature of dizziness. I think what clients mean by "unpredictable" is the way vestibular dysfunction may come and go at any time for no reason. This part of vestibular dysfunction is definitely unpredictable. That aspect of vestibular dysfunction can be terrifying for many. Over the years, however, I have noticed that the unpredictability of the problem seems to be more predictable than one might recognize.
With many of my clients (not all), the way their problem returns is fairly predictable. For instance, the spells usually last about the same amount of time. The intensity seems to either stay the same or even become less. The nausea, over time, may actually become less. The movements that cause the problem remain consistent. It even seems that I notice patterns of when the problem may return and when it may go away on it's own. If vestibular rehab worked once for an individual, it seems as though it is likely to work again should their problem return.
We have to be careful not to give more power to vestibular dysfunction than it deserves. I know that in the moment, the problem is horrendous. However, the greater our brains perceive vestibular dysfunction as a threat, the greater our sympathetic nervous systems will respond. This will cause a stronger response in our bodies. We must be honest about how "unpredictable" these spells actually are so that we do not have as intense of a response when the problem returns.
With many of my clients (not all), the way their problem returns is fairly predictable. For instance, the spells usually last about the same amount of time. The intensity seems to either stay the same or even become less. The nausea, over time, may actually become less. The movements that cause the problem remain consistent. It even seems that I notice patterns of when the problem may return and when it may go away on it's own. If vestibular rehab worked once for an individual, it seems as though it is likely to work again should their problem return.
We have to be careful not to give more power to vestibular dysfunction than it deserves. I know that in the moment, the problem is horrendous. However, the greater our brains perceive vestibular dysfunction as a threat, the greater our sympathetic nervous systems will respond. This will cause a stronger response in our bodies. We must be honest about how "unpredictable" these spells actually are so that we do not have as intense of a response when the problem returns.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Just Bring It!!
There comes a time in some of our lives where we have to get...kinda crazy and say, "JUST BRING IT!" There are fears that hold us down, prior failures that keep us caged. Sometimes bad memories of things that happend years ago cause us to experience the same terrible event daily.
When dizziness strikes, many have a hard time forgetting what they felt. Sometimes it never goes away. When it hangs around, it can punish an individual every time they move. If individuals who are battling dizziness have been cleared by their Doctors and they are terrified of moving for fear the problem could become worse, there may be a time when they need to dive into that sensation.
I have witnessed amazing progress in people who develop somewhat of a crazy mentality of, "It's good to be dizzy" and they look forward to feeling the problem. These individuals adapt a "just bring that dizziness my way and I will crush it" mentality. It's amazing to witness the transformation in these individuals lives.
When dizziness strikes, many have a hard time forgetting what they felt. Sometimes it never goes away. When it hangs around, it can punish an individual every time they move. If individuals who are battling dizziness have been cleared by their Doctors and they are terrified of moving for fear the problem could become worse, there may be a time when they need to dive into that sensation.
I have witnessed amazing progress in people who develop somewhat of a crazy mentality of, "It's good to be dizzy" and they look forward to feeling the problem. These individuals adapt a "just bring that dizziness my way and I will crush it" mentality. It's amazing to witness the transformation in these individuals lives.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Battling the enemy and winning
requires we know how the enemy sounds, moves, thinks and reacts to our efforts to stop it. Problems causing dizziness are the enemies I battle all day in the clinic. These problems are definitely the enemy of anyone battling dizziness. Dizziness is terrifying and greatly harms an individual's quality of life. To help win the war over dizziness, we must be able to identify the enemy. We need to be able to do the following:
1. Identify the kinds of sounds it makes. In other words, how does the person's dizziness make them feel? What dizzy language does it make them speak?
2. How does it move the person? In other words, how does the cause of dizziness impact the person's ability to move? What does it do to their eyes, neck and balance muscles?
3. How does it move within the person? Is the problem causing the dizziness remaining consistent in it's attack approach or is it changing it's strategy? Does it come and go within seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, days and/or months? Does it attack at varying levels of intensity?
4. How does it respond to termination attempts? When implementing a variety of types of vestibular rehab and other therapy approaches, does it go away as expected?
1. Identify the kinds of sounds it makes. In other words, how does the person's dizziness make them feel? What dizzy language does it make them speak?
2. How does it move the person? In other words, how does the cause of dizziness impact the person's ability to move? What does it do to their eyes, neck and balance muscles?
3. How does it move within the person? Is the problem causing the dizziness remaining consistent in it's attack approach or is it changing it's strategy? Does it come and go within seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, days and/or months? Does it attack at varying levels of intensity?
4. How does it respond to termination attempts? When implementing a variety of types of vestibular rehab and other therapy approaches, does it go away as expected?
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