Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular dysfunction can take away independence and safety by affecting your equilibrium and sense of balance. Symptoms include exaggerated sense of motion, lack of coordinated movement, dizziness, vertigo, nausea and vomiting, difficulty with walking, motion sickness, blurred vision with head movement, an inability to visually concentrate and/or sensitivity to busy environments.
Common vestibular conditions include: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere's, Unilateral/Bilateral vestibular weakness or Vestibulopathy, Vestibular neuritis, Labyrinthitis, and Mal de Barquement Syndrome (MdDS) (sensation of movement that lasts more than a few days that is common after cruises and airplane travel).
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo and can be characterized by the sudden sensation that you're spinning or that your head is spinning inside. BPPV often is described as brief episodes of dizziness, ranging from mild to intense, and is often triggered by changes in the position of your head, turning over in bed, or sitting up quickly. BPPV symptoms are due to displaced crystals of calcium, called otoconia, that have collected within a part of the inner ear. Head movements cause the displaced otoconia to shift, sending false signals to the brain.
About 20% of all dizziness is due to BPPV. In older people, about 50% of the time their dizziness is due to BPPV. Treatment for BPPV can be successful within just a few visits. Specific body and head movements can be performed to move the crystals out of the canal.
Vestibular Rehabilitation (VRT) is an exercise-based group of approaches designed to decrease dizziness, improve ability to stabilize vision, and retrain aspects of postural control due to vestibular dysfunction. Our vestibular specialists are trained in a variety of maneuvers and methods to treat vestibular dysfunction, including the Epley maneuver, Canalith repositioning, Brandt-Daroff, Semont's liberatory maneuver, and many others. KORT has 26 locations with physical therapists that have completed vestibular rehabilitation training by The American Institute of Balance (AIB).
If you'd like to learn more about balance disorders, their causes, and effective treatment strategies, the National Institutes of Health website has useful information about Balance Disorders.
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) - Location / Clinician List
- Bardstown
- Beaumont - Leslie Cheung and Jennifer Tuska
- Brannon Crossing - Jay Hargrove
- Bryan Station - James Escaloni, Chris Kaczmarek, Mark Neal
- Campbellsville - Colleen Ball
- Chevy Chase - Stephan Karam
- Crestwood/First - Audrey Stockwell, Alecia Lower
- Downtown - Chad Garvey, Laura Hoagland
- Elizabethtown - Melissa Hawkins, Justin Travis
- Fern Creek - Amy Grizzle, Julie Smith
- Georgetown - Stephanie Darnell, Andrea Bain
- Goss Ave - Tim Nichol, Teresa Smith
- Hamburg - Rob Swayze, Stephanie Elliot
- J-town - Ryan Hudson, Stephanie Stone
- Jeffersonville - Eric Wolfe, Danyelle Nockerts Purvis
- Lebanon - Melanie Brewer, Laura Bandy, Lauren Brady
- Louisville PT - Dan Stopher
- Middletown/English Station - Jon Beougher, Regina Durbin, Crystal Joice, Lauren Cotton
- Mt. Washington - Hannah Arms
- New Albany - Debbie Williams, Emily Bullerdick
- Nicholasville - Matt Lee
- Old Brownsboro Crossing - Josh Bixler
- Owensboro - Jennifer Byrne, Chelsea Rice
- Partners in PT - Troy Grubb, Brandon Fowler
- Preston - Lynne Velarde, Emily Magrum, Sarah Flowers
- Richmond - Karen Clark, Kevin Begley
- Shepherdsville - Kevin Owens, Billie Rehberg
- Shively - Kristin Oliverio, Amy Wells, Jane Murphy
- Springhurst - Robin Harrington, Sarah Aaron, Michael Good, Katie Lopez, Jennifer Buono
- Tates Creek - Tricia Brown, Matt Hall, Whitney McGuffey
- Tyler Center - Emily Nicklies
- Valley Station - Melinda Hayes
- Winchester - Nelson Caudill
