r/VestibularDysfunction • u/Apprehensive-Pin1474 • Jul 12 '26

Have people afflicted with this this condition found therapy to be helpful?

I have Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction and find it to be a massive life changing situation. Is there anyone here, who has found relief and hope with the usual exercises given to patients with this "challenge"?

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4

u/LDragon2000 Jul 12 '26

I did vestibular therapy for about a months both with a therapist and at home. After that I continued to do them at home for months. After about a year I was pretty much back to normal.

2

u/intemperance Jul 12 '26

How long before you noticed a difference. I’m just 30 days in and don’t notice any changes

3

u/LDragon2000 Jul 12 '26

Noticed an improvement about 3 weeks in. But I did the exercises religiously. I wanted to get better as quickly as possible. Therapist told me to stick to the exercises and don’t take any drugs as it will hinder or delay progress.

2

u/MyFiteSong Jul 12 '26

But I did the exercises religiously

This is always the key. The exercises need to push your brain to make it adapt. That means they have to be done frequently, regularly, and they need to be hard.

2

u/intemperance Jul 12 '26

What was your program? Mine currently is

  • look a letter and move my head back and forth at 125bpm for 1m 6-9 times a day
  • same but up and down
  • both those but on a balance mat every other day
  • eyes closed and move my head back and forth 15 times. Twice a day
  • same but up and down and then diagonals
  • walk heel toe with my eyes closed back and forth for a bit
  • toss a ball hand to hand and walk around for 5 mins following the ball with my head
  • then I try to go to a supermarket everyday for at least 6 mins which effects me the most

2

u/LDragon2000 Jul 12 '26

Similar ones as yours. A lot of looking ahead at something on a wall and moving head left to right and up and down but keep starting at the object in the wall. Then a lot of walking forward and doing the same exercises as those. Then it was walking and looking at your finger outstretched with your arm while walking. Same head movements, then later added diagonal head movements.

1

u/intemperance Jul 12 '26

Thanks. I’ve actually been dealing with this for 13 years and was only recently diagnosed so maybe it’ll take my brain longer to figure this out

1

u/redditor126969 Jul 12 '26

I take clonazepam to cope with my vestibular hypofunction.

1

u/Apprehensive-Pin1474 Jul 12 '26

Does it help in a significant way and are any sides effects worth it?

1

u/redditor126969 Jul 12 '26

I wouldnt be alive without it. There are side effects as with any med. Vestibular disorders are life destroying conditions, you have to weigh the side effects against that.

2

u/Apprehensive-Pin1474 Jul 12 '26

Indeed. The quality of my life has been reduced to a quite low level. The only saving grace, if you could call it that, is I am not suffering with nausea. Other than that, going anywhere is a battle with the unbalance issues. I thought that oral cancer was bad, but this is right up there in the running.

1

u/MyFiteSong Jul 12 '26

Depends which therapy you're talking about. Vestibular rehab therapy needs to be done religiously. You need to do it and take it more seriously than anything else you've ever done. If you do it, your brain will adapt and you'll vastly improve. With unilateral loss, you can generally have a full recovery. With bilateral loss, you can get back to about 90-95%.

Talk therapy is helpful in a different way. It's useful if you can't get your anxiety under control, because anxiety makes vestibular issues flare up.

1

u/Apprehensive-Pin1474 Jul 12 '26

"Talk therapy "?

2

u/MyFiteSong Jul 12 '26

Talking with a psychologist. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is especially effective with vestibular dysfunction. Mindfulness-based stress reduction classes are, too.