Balance Awareness Week falls in mid-September, and Victoria's soft early-autumn weather makes it an easy time to think about steadiness on your feet: rain-slicked sidewalks on Government Street, curbs in Oak Bay that look shorter than they are. If dizziness or unsteadiness has crept into daily life, vestibular therapy is often the answer, and it works better than most people expect.
What Vestibular Therapy Actually Is
The vestibular system sits in the inner ear. It tells your brain where your head is in space and helps coordinate eye movements with body movements. When something goes wrong, symptoms can include:
- Vertigo
- Dizziness when turning the head
- Unsteadiness in crowds
- A queasy feeling that comes and goes
Vestibular physiotherapy is a set of specific exercises designed to retrain that system, and it's strongly supported by evidence. It isn't medication or surgery; it's exercises performed daily under a trained therapist's guidance.
Common Conditions That Respond Well
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, is one of the most common. Small crystals in the inner ear shift out of place and cause brief but intense spinning during everyday movements such as:
- Rolling over in bed
- Looking up at a cupboard
- Getting into a car
Vestibular physiotherapy is a set of specific exercises designed to retrain that system. The Alzheimer Society and other Canadian health resources note that balance problems are common contributors to falls and that targeted therapy is strongly supported by evidence. Exercises are performed daily under the guidance of a trained therapist, without medication or surgery.
What to Expect at a First Appointment
Plan for an hour. The therapist will ask about your medical history, medications, and symptom patterns: when the dizziness happens, what makes it better, and what positions bring it on. Bring a written summary if that's easier than remembering on the spot.
A hands-on assessment follows. The therapist will watch you stand, walk, turn, and look side to side, and may briefly reproduce symptoms by guiding your head into certain positions. Some clinics use video goggles that record eye movements. Nothing hurts, but bring someone to drive you home, especially if your symptoms have been unpredictable.
Doing the Work at Home
The exercises are the therapy.A typical course of vestibular therapy includes three or four exercises to do twice a day for six to twelve weeks, such as:
- Gaze stabilization drills
- Balance work, first on a firm surface, then on a softer one
- Head-turn exercises that feel dizzying at first, and gradually don't
Progress feels slow week to week and dramatic month to month. Keep a small notebook to record symptoms and how you felt after each session. If symptoms worsen sharply, call the therapist or your family doctor. Otherwise, the discomfort of practice usually means the system is being retrained.
Steadier Days Across the Saanich Peninsula
At Senior Helpers Victoria, our caregivers work with families across Victoria, Sidney, and Central Saanich. We can help with rides to vestibular therapy appointments, remind you about daily exercises, and offer a steady hand while balance is still returning. If that support would help you or a family member, contact us and we'll figure out the next step together.