What is a vestibular disorder?

Vestibular dysfunction is a disturbance in the body's balance system due to a disruption of the vestibular system in the inner ear, the central nervous system processing centers, or both. Your eyes, brain, inner ear, and nerves in your feet and spine work together to keep you balanced and when any part of that system is off, you can feel dizzy. 

What causes a vestibular disorder?

Most commonly in children vestibular symptoms are brought on by vestibular hypofunction, leading to dysregulation of the system within the inner ear. This causes increased perception of movement by the brain resulting in a feeling of dizziness. When your eyes see one thing, your muscles feel another, and your inner ear senses something else your brain will receive mixed signals resulting in feeling dizzy and sick. Illness can increase these symptoms or be the cause of the initial onset of vestibular symptoms. Other causes can include a head injury or migraines. 

Symptoms of a vestibular dysfunction:

• car sickness
• complaints of dizziness with motion
• inability to tolerate reading or watching the TV without dizziness or upset stomach
• decreased balance
• nausea with activity or movements
• increased falls

When to see a Physical Therapist: 

You should seek treatment any time a child is having symptoms that impact their daily functioning. For example; inability to ride the bus without getting sick, inability to read or watch the TV without feeling sick or dizzy, inability to complete leisure activities such as jumping on the trampoline or playing outside with friends.

How we treat vestibular dysfunction:

We work to habituate, or decrease the vestibular systems response to input. We work through a variety of exercises to improve visual tracking, core and neck strength, balance, and activity tolerance. We utilize the astronaut board and protocol to improve tolerance for increased vestibular input. 

If your child struggles with car sickness, dizziness, or other vestibular symptoms, schedule an evaluation with one of our skilled Physical Therapists today to help them regain their freedom to be a kid again!

Thank you to Ms. Mackenzie, one of PMC's fantastic PTs, for sharing this great information with us!