From Spin to Stability: How Agapé Physical Therapy Treats Vertigo at All 7 Rochester Locations

Dizziness, the room spinning, that unsettling feeling of being off-balance—if you’ve ever experienced vertigo, you know how debilitating it can be. It’s more than just a little woozy feeling; it can make daily tasks like getting out of bed or walking through a grocery store feel impossible.

The good news is, you don't have to live with it! At Agapé Physical Therapy, with seven convenient locations across the Rochester area, our expert Doctors of Physical Therapy are highly skilled at diagnosing and treating the root cause of your dizziness, helping you stop the spin and get back to your life.

The Leading Cause of Vertigo: BPPV Explained

While there are many potential causes of dizziness, the most common one we treat is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). This condition sounds complicated, but the mechanism is actually quite simple.

Think of your inner ear as your body’s sophisticated balance center. Inside, you have tiny organs that sense movement and gravity. Part of this system uses minute calcium carbonate crystals, called otoconia. Under normal circumstances, these crystals sit on a specific patch of tissue in your inner ear.

With BPPV, these "balance crystals" break loose and drift into one of the fluid-filled canals of the inner ear where they shouldn't be. When you move your head—like bending over, looking up, or rolling over in bed—these errant crystals shift the fluid in the canal. This sends confusing, intense signals to your brain, making you feel like the world is violently spinning, even though you haven't moved much.

Our Approach to Treatment: Quick Relief and Lasting Stability

At Agapé PT, we don't just mask the symptoms; we fix the problem. The primary and most effective treatment for BPPV is a precise, gentle technique: the Epley Maneuver.

The Epley Maneuver is a specific series of head and body movements performed by your Physical Therapist. The goal is simple: to use gravity to safely guide those misplaced crystals out of the sensitive canal and back into the area of the inner ear where they belong. It’s a highly effective treatment that often provides immediate and dramatic relief.

Beyond the Maneuver

Once the immediate, intense spinning is resolved, your care doesn't stop there. Vertigo can often cause secondary issues and lingering challenges. Our therapists create a personalized plan focusing on:

• Restoring Cervical Mobility and Range of Motion (ROM): Dizziness often leads to a stiff neck because you instinctively try to avoid head movements. We utilize hands-on manual therapy and specific exercises to restore natural, pain-free Cervical Range of Motion (ROM).
• Gaze Stability and Vestibular Ocular Reflex (VOR) Training: Specific exercises are designed to improve your VOR and ensure gaze stability, which is essential for maintaining clear vision and preventing symptoms while your head is moving.
• Progressive Balance and Habituation Exercises: These exercises are designed to train your brain to stop reacting abnormally to movements that trigger dizziness, with the overarching goal of regaining full mobility, strength, balance, and function without symptoms. Key exercises may include:
• Progressive challenges such as balance on foam and single leg balance.
• Functional training, including exercises with eyes closed and activities like walking with head turns.
• Improving functional things that may have become difficult, such as bending over, and getting in and out of bed.

We understand that regaining perfect balance and full confidence takes time, but the good news is that treatment to get rid of the most severe dizziness symptoms is usually very quick - often accomplished in just a few visits!

While we've focused on BPPV, it's important to understand that many causes can lead to dizziness, including concussions, Meniere's disease, and other complex issues. The most important thing to know is that you don't have to live with dizziness. Get in for an evaluation, and we can help you understand the source of your symptoms. Even if your issue isn't something we directly treat, we can use our professional network to refer you to the right doctor to help you feel better.

Don't let dizziness hold you back any longer. If you are struggling with vertigo, unsteadiness, or any type of imbalance, come in and see any one of our compassionate Doctors of Physical Therapy at one of our seven Rochester locations, including our newest clinic in East Rochester! 

Start your 2026 off right by getting rid of your dizziness and regaining your freedom of movement!