Exercises for Menieres Disease

Ménière's Disease is an inner ear condition that results in vertigo, dizziness, imbalance, the perception of noise, and ultimately hearing loss. While medication and surgery often work to cure the ailment, individuals suffering from Ménière's often have difficulty walking and standing normally before treatment takes effect. It is recommended, therefore, that individuals with the disease try various exercises to help improve balance and stability. These exercises are not a cure but do provide a level of comfort for sufferers who are experiencing balance issues.

Walking

• Coordinated activity while standing is difficult for sufferers of Ménière's Disease. Riding stationary bikes or even running on a treadmill will not improve balance. Therefore, walking is one of the first activities that should be attempted. Therapy begins very slowly, with individuals learning to place the heel in front of the other foot's toes and then proceeding to advance forward in a straight line. Walking may be combined with slow head turning from side to side. Walking while looking into the distance may also help. It is often recommended that, if walking and head turning can be achieved without the onset of vertigo, an individual might use their eyes to follow moving objects such as flying birds.

Head Exercises

• From a seated position, an individual should try tilting the head upward to look at the ceiling and then slowly moving it downward until he or she is looking at the ground. This exercise can be repeated ten times in a row, unless the sufferer begins to feel extremely dizzy. Next, the head may be turned from side to side, first slowly and then at a quicker pace, although individuals should be careful in such instances not to strain the neck. If dizziness continues to diminish, performing these exercises with the eyes closed will help to improve balance even further.

Seated Exercises

• While seated in a chair, a sufferer of Ménière's Disease should try shrugging the shoulders. Then, the shoulders may be turned slowly to the right and to the left, 20 times each. Sufferers may try rotating the head, shoulders, and torso of the body with the eyes still opened to the right and left, then up and down. Doing it with one's eyes closed, or one's eyes fixed to a point on the wall or floor, is a great way to improve on these exercises once the eyes-open exercises can be completed without dizziness. Seated eye movements using the finger as a guide are helpful---exercises should be attempted from side to side, up and down, and then from the finger to the nose and back out.