Vestibular Rehabilitation

Support for Balance and Dizziness

Up to 50% of people experience vestibular dysfunction following a brain injury. These changes can significantly affect your ability to move safely and confidently in daily life.

Dizziness, vertigo and balance problems can make everyday life feel harder than it should. Whether your symptoms started after a brain injury or concussion, are related to the inner ear or have another cause, our team is here to help you understand what’s happening and find practical ways to feel more confident.

At Sakura Allied Health, our Vestibular Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist work together to help you manage dizziness, balance and visual symptoms so you can get back to the things you need and want to do.

Together, we can work on:

Reducing dizziness, vertigo and feelings of unsteadiness
Improving balance, coordination and confidence when moving around
Helping your eyes, brain and balance systems work together more effectively
Managing sensitivity to busy environments, movement, lights and screens
Building confidence with walking, stairs, uneven surfaces and getting around your community
Developing strategies to manage fatigue and the feeling that your battery is empty
Getting back to work, study, driving and the activities you enjoy
Managing BPPV and other inner ear related causes of dizziness
Gradually returning to activities that may have become difficult or overwhelming

Vestibular Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy

What’s the Difference?

Vestibular physiotherapy and rehabilitation is specialised physiotherapy focused to help people who feel dizzy, lightheaded, off balance or like the room is spinning. Vestibular Physiotherapy focuses on movement, balance and the way your body responds to changes in position and movement. This may include exercises and techniques to improve balance, reduce dizziness and help your brain adapt to changes in the information it receives from your eyes, inner ears and body.

Vestibular Occupational Therapy looks at how dizziness and visual symptoms affect the things you do every day. We’ll work with you to find practical strategies for managing busy environments, screens, fatigue and other triggers, while supporting you with graded, real world practice to gradually get back to the activities you enjoy.

Sometimes the best support comes from working across both disciplines. Our team can work together to help you feel safer, more confident and more in control of everyday activities.

Where Assessment and Therapy Happens

Vestibular rehabilitation usually begins with an assessment at our clinic and gym. From there, therapy can continue in the clinic, at home or in the community, depending on your needs and goals.

We will start by taking the time to understand your symptoms, when and how they started, what makes your symptoms worse and how they affect your life. We then complete a gentle and focused assessment including checking how your eyes move, how your inner ear (vestibular system) is working and how well you can balance when standing or walking.

Following diagnosis we’ll guide you through a personalised, evidence based plan to help your vestibular system, brain and body work together more smoothly again, with in clinic exercises and a program to complete at home. Over time, we hope to support you to understand your symptoms, reduce dizziness, improve balance and help you feel more steady and confident doing the daily activities most important to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dizziness after a concussion or brain injury can happen when the systems that help your brain understand movement and balance aren’t working together as they should. This can affect how you respond to movement, busy environments, visual information and changes in position.
Our team can help identify what may be contributing to your symptoms and develop practical strategies to help you manage them.
Yes. Occupational Therapy can help when dizziness, visual sensitivity or sensory overload is making everyday activities difficult. We can work with you on practical strategies for things such as busy shops, computer screens, work environments, fatigue and getting back to your usual activities.
No. You don’t need a GP referral for our vestibular clinic. You can contact us directly to discuss what support you’re looking for and we can help you work out the next steps.
If you are accessing therapy through a particular funding scheme or insurance provider, there may be specific referral or approval requirements. We can talk you through these when you get in touch.
Yes. Our Vestibular Physiotherapists can assess and treat BPPV using appropriate repositioning techniques and exercises, while also considering how your symptoms are affecting your everyday life.
Vertigo usually describes a sensation of spinning or movement, while dizziness can feel more like being unsteady, lightheaded, off balance or disconnected from your surroundings. Different things can cause these symptoms, including inner ear conditions, concussion and brain injury.