Patients with chronic turning dizziness should exercise and not take pills. Researchers from VUmc conclude researchers Vincent van Vugt: "It is important to encourage patients to exercise."
Are there many patients with dizziness?
'
yes, chronic dizziness is quite common in many people. It is difficult to provide exact data on this, but it is a major problem, especially among the elderly. Diseases in which the equilibrium organ is involved in the dizziness include BPPD, neuritis vestibularis, and Ménière's disease. "
Why are exercises better than taking pills?
'Because the pills that are often prescribed do not help at all. Patients with chronic dizziness are often prescribed betahistine, but there is insufficient scientific evidence for the efficacy of this medicine. Betahistine itself has virtually no side effects, but it would be a shame if a patient took a medication that didn't work. In addition, the costs can also increase if you use this medicine for the rest of your life. "
Has it been proven that the exercises work?
'Yes, but this method is still rarely used by general practitioners. The exercise treatment for chronic dizziness is called vestibular rehabilitation. Research shows that only five percent of general practitioners refer patients with chronic dizziness to a physical therapist for this treatment. "
What do the exercises consist of?
"One of them is that you stretch your arm out in front of you and move your head from left to right in a quick motion, so that you make a" no move "while your gaze is fixed on your arm."
That sounds like an exercise to get dizzy ...
"And that is precisely the intention now, because by making yourself extra dizzy, there is compensation in your brain, so that the dizzy feeling disappears."
Why is it important for nurses to know about this?
'If you see that your patient's medication list says that he is using betahistine, you can point the doctor to the exercises with a physical therapist. In addition, patients who are dizzy tend to exercise less because they make them more dizzy. But it is important to encourage these people to keep moving, so that the brain can compensate for the dizziness. '
But someone who is dizzy and moving can also fall faster?
'That's right, you have to be extra vigilant about that. There are also dizziness medicines that can make a patient suffer, which increases the risk of falling, such as cinnarizine. So stay alert to what the patient is taking. '
Learn More about vertigo and how to work through it with exercise and not pills,