Episode Summary
Discover why dizziness is so often misunderstood, overlooked, and life-changing—and how the right assessment can quickly restore confidence, function, and quality of life. Learn to make sense of vertigo through patient-focused evaluation, vestibular physiology, and targeted rehabilitation strategies that truly work.
Vertigo and dizziness are presented as common, often poorly managed problems that can become long-term and disabling when clinicians focus only on diagnosis or symptom-masking medication. The course centers on making sense of the patient’s experience, understanding dizziness as a problem within the balance system, and taking a patient-focused, biopsychosocial approach.
Learners are introduced to the basics of vestibular physiology, including how the brain integrates input from the inner ear, vision, and proprioception to maintain balance, gaze stability, and spatial orientation. The distinction between peripheral and central vestibular disorders is explained, along with why sensory mismatch can produce dizziness. The teaching also covers balance control, common vestibular pathologies, and simple clinical tests that can be added to routine neuro-musculoskeletal assessment without requiring much equipment.
Particular attention is given to BPPV, vestibular asymmetry, falls risk, and vestibular rehabilitation. Exercises are presented as needing to match the individual patient and the tasks that provoke symptoms, rather than following fixed protocols. The broader effects of dizziness on confidence, function, anxiety, and daily life are also emphasized.
