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Vestibular Exercises

Many patients experience problems with vertigo after surgery. Though the following exercises might not be suitable to your needs or appropriate to your situation, many patients have reported doing similar exercises on their own after microsurgery. They have intuitively tried to exercise their body in a way to get over the uncomfortable balance feelings. Walking or standing to help the brain relearn balance appears to be a crucial part of recovery from abrupt disruption of the vestibular nerve.

For pre-treatment patients whose vestibular (balance) nerve is being affected by the tumor, these exersizes should also be helpful.  With their help, most patients quickly relearn balance.  However, if the problems are caused by surgical damage to the vestibular part of the brain itself (central vestibular neuropathy), professional therapy might be more appropriate. Consult with your physician or physical therapist to find a plan best for you.

(by AN patients)

The vestibular lab at the University of Michigan gave me a couple of vestibular exercises to do post-op for a couple months. They were very effective so I will pass them along.

• First cut out and tape a large alphabet letter to the wall (I used the A from a headline in USA Today). Stand 5-7 ft. back. Make sure the letter is at eye level. Turn your head right and left while keeping your eye focused on the letter. Do this 8-10 times for 3 sets. Stop a few seconds if you get dizzy, then repeat. Gradually speed up the head turning, but make sure you remain focused on the letter. When doing the exercises with the large letter, you should also do sets moving the head up and down while remaining focused on the letter.
  
• Another exercise: Stand, turn your head to the right and find something to focus on, turn it to the left and find something to focus on. Now rotate your head both directions several times making sure you focus on the objects you picked out. Do 3 sets. These are done more slowly than the first exercise. Focusing is important! If you get dizzy, stop for a few seconds, then go on. Finally do the same thing only focus on something on the ceiling and on the floor, then move the head up and down.
  
• Another one Univ. of MI gave me: lie flat on your back, then sit up quickly. Repeat several times.

All of these should be done several times a day. I was also told to walk 30-60 minutes a day. Very helpful! I even incorporated the above exercises into my walks.

Hope this helps some of you with your vertigo problems.

Simple and effective

The following simple exercise is apparently effective at training the balance mechanism in the brain to work with one side only:

Try tip-toeing up and down a narrow hall, for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night, putting arms out to the well to correct yourself if you over-balance. 

Dynamic walking drills

Walk 5/7 days, for at least 30 minutes per day:

1. Walk with head turns (side to side and up and down)
2. Walk, change speed (speed up, slow down)
3. Walk, change direction (90 degree turn; 180 degree pivot turn)
4. Walk backwards
5. Walk on uneven terrain

Standing balance drills

1. Standing -- eyes closed, move feet apart, move them back together
2. Standing -- active weight shifts (shift forward, back, side to side) with eyes open, then closed
3. March in place with eyes closed
4. March in place with head turns

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Last Edited: Wednesday, October 30, 2002