Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy FAQs

VRT services are not covered under OHIP. But VRT will likely be covered under your private physiotherapy insurance. If your insurer requires one, ask your doctor for a “Vestibular Physiotherapy” referral.

You will receive a receipt when you have paid for a treatment. You can then use this receipt to claim the cost of assessment or treatments from your insurer.

Only medical professionals who have been trained and certified at courses like Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Physical Therapy – Vestibular Rehabilitation Competency Program, can say that they have the tools, knowledge, and skills necessary to practice VRT fully. This is because of the extensive training and testing involved in certification at Emory.

VRT will help if you have any of the following problems:

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
• Dizziness
• Nausea related to movement
• A history of falls
• Motion sensitivity
• Poor balance
• Labyrinthitis or Vestibular Neuritis
• Concussion & Post-concussion Syndromes dizziness
• Acoustic Neuroma (if stable or post-operative)
• Ménière’s Disease (if accompanied by vestibular loss)

VRT works well regardless of a person’s age or how long they have had the problem.

Individuals with certain conditions are not candidates for VRT, such as:

• Dizziness caused by progressive central nervous system loss (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis)
• Fluctuating dizziness conditions (e.g. Migraine-related dizziness)
• Psychogenic dizziness. (e.g. dizziness related to anxiety, depression, etc)

Making an accurate diagnosis is very important for a successful VRT program. A complete VRT assessment includes a detailed history and physical examination with special tools (e.g. infrared goggles). VRT treatments include therapist-applied head movements and customized exercises. Acupuncture and manual therapy may also be helpful. Finally, if needed, counselling for walking aids will be prescribed.

The first appointment takes about 1 hour. After that, the number of sessions depends on your condition. With BPPV, to get complete recovery you may need only 1 or 2 twenty-minute follow-up sessions. With other conditions like Labyrinthitis or Vestibular Neuritis, you will need on average 8-12 weekly sessions.

For a short period after the assessment, you may feel a bit more dizzy. For this reason, it is important to have someone drive you home or to take a taxi. After that, what you feel depends on the condition being treated. For those people with BPPV, the reduction in their dizziness after just 1 or 2 treatments can be quite remarkable. With other conditions, a person will feel much better with time and consistent exercising.

Your insurer may or may not require a referral from your doctor. But because there are many causes of dizziness or balance problems, it is very important that you also consult your family doctor at the same time as you Contact Us.