Integrated & Community Services - Dizziness and Balance Exercises

Exercises to help dizziness and balance

The following exercises can help you to improve your balance and reduce symptoms of dizziness associated with movement. The exercises may initially make your symptoms seem slightly worse, but if you continue with the exercises your dizziness can gradually improve over time.

Benefit is usually achieved over a period of one to three months, providing the exercises are done correctly.

Safety

It is essential that you ensure the environment you are exercising in is safe. Make sure the area is clear and that there are no sharp edges or objects which could cause harm. For standing exercises, stand in a corner of the room and, if you feel safer, ask a relative to stand in front of you or place a chair with a high back in front of you.

Your Personal Plan

The exercises that the audiologist recommends for you are listed over the page. Repeat each exercise 3-4 times a day for up to 1 minute each. It is very important that you practice them every day. Gradually increase the speed and time you do each exercise as your symptoms improve.

It is important that you keep as mobile as possible within your capability and ensuring you are safe.

Exercises

1. Eye movement exercises – sitting down, keep your head still, look at an object on your left, then to one on your right and back again, repeat moving up and down.
2. Sitting down, focus on an object in front of you while turning your head from side to side. Repeat moving your head up and down.
3. Standing up, repeat exercise 2 standing barefoot.
4. Standing up, repeat exercise 2 standing initially on a few bath towels, then a soft foam base.
5. Sitting down, repeat exercise 2 in front of a patterned or moving background, such as a TV or computer screen.
6. Tightrope walk forwards (placing one foot immediately in front of the other as though walking on a tightrope), turn and repeat.
7. Tightrope walk forwards, turn and repeat while turning your head to the left and right.
8. Stand on one leg, repeat with other leg.
9. Trace the alphabet on the floor with your foot.
10.  Alternately stand on tip toes and heels.
11.  Sitting comfortably, bend forwards and reach to the floor, then sit up.
12. Throw a ball from one hand to the other.
13. Alternately turn from right to left.
14. Core stability - Centre yourself with your feet in line with your hips or shoulders ensuring that your weight is distributed equally between both feet. Consider your posture, tightening your thigh muscles, buttocks and lower abdomen as advised by the clinician. Stand with feet hip width apart. Keep the sole of your foot on the floor throughout the exercise. Transfer your weight forward into your toes and backwards into your heels. Transfer your weight from one leg to the other by shifting your hip without bending to the side.

Videos of the exercises are available at:

https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/our-services click on Audiology – click on Dizziness or scan the QR code 

Motivational goals:

You can make a note of the exercises you’ve done in the following table:

Contact Us

Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale

Audiology Department, Floor One, Nye Bevan House, Maclure Road, Rochdale, OL11 1DN

Bury

Audiology Department, Radcliffe Primary Care, 69 Church Street West, Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 2SP
Telephone: 01706 674913
Email: NESaudiology@nca.nhs.uk
Website:  www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk

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We are an accredited UKAS Service 8172 - in accordance with the UKAS schedule of accreditation that can be found at
https://www.ukas.com/wp-content/uploads/schedule_uploads/  00009/8172IQIPS-2.pdf

For further information see:

https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/our-services - Audiology