If your patients have ever experienced the feeling of being off balance, that they are spinning or moving, that their head is heavy, or lightheadedness, they have experienced dizziness. Many people have experienced the uncomfortable and awkward condition of being dizzy.
Some people may have this issue occasionally, or just when they are sick. Others have consistent issues with being dizzy. In this article, we will present a little bit on dizziness and steps that you can take – as a physical therapist – to help your patients overcome dizziness. If your patient is experiencing dizziness, it is important that they consult their medical physician so that he may examine them and determine if certain set treatments are required to alleviate the condition.
Most people do not realize that there are a few various types of dizziness. Regardless of the actual way that they feel, they refer to it as being “dizzy” for use of a general term. It is important to understand the basic types of dizziness so that if your patient must describe their symptoms to you, you may be able to treat their issue more effectively.
The first type of dizziness is called “vertigo”. Vertigo is occurring when the room or area that you are in actually looks as if it is spinning. You feel as if you are spinning along with your surroundings and it is an extremely uncomfortable experience for you. The second type of dizziness is called “disequilibrium”. If you have ever felt as if you are losing your balance or falling towards one side, this is disequilibrium. The third type of dizziness is often termed “faintness”, “Lightheaded”, and so on. With this type of dizziness, you may feel as though you may faint, or collapse. There is a general feeling of weakness that consumes you.
There are many causes for why a patient may experience dizziness. These causes are specific under each type of dizziness. Vertigo is normally experienced because there is an issue with an organ in the ear. This organ can detect when the head has moved. The connection of the organ to the brain, the nerves, or the actual organ itself may be experiencing damage or a specific disorder. If your patient feels faint, or lightheaded they could be experiencing an issue as small as anxiety and as large as a problem with major organs in the body like the heart and the brain. Faintness tends to develop when serious issues are occurring in the body. For example, if there is an issue with the blood circulation, a person may feel faint.
If your patient finds themselves getting dizzy, there are some steps that they can take that may help them to overcome the problem. Once again, it is very important that your patient consult their physician if they are experiencing dizziness and before trying any of the following steps.
If you would like to help your patient alleviate the symptoms of dizziness, you may suggest the following:
1) It is important that the patient cease all activity for their own safety and the safety of those around them – especially if driving or operating heavy equipment.
2) Patients should be encouraged to try to take in long breaths so that their body can get the oxygen that it requires.
3) The patient should be instructed to place their head between their legs to promote the flow of the blood to the brain, if they lift it and are still dizzy, place it back between the legs.
4) Encourage patients to try to drink fluids until the symptoms of the dizziness have been eliminated.
5) If the symptoms get worse or the episodes are closer together, patients should seek the assistance of a medical professional as soon as possible.
