Exercises That Keep Vertigo From Spinning Out of Control

Vertigo is a spinning sensation of dizziness. It can cause people to lose balance and fall, increasing the risk of injury. The dizzying sensation can also cause queasiness and nausea. However, simple exercises may help reduce vertigo symptoms.

Getting Ready

• Prepare properly to make sure that you do not fall and injure yourself. St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center says that people with vertigo may find benefit by performing exercises that help increase balance in a variety of situations including standing, turning and walking. Before beginning, take precautions. For example, surround your work area with pillows in case you fall. Have a chair nearby to regain your balance. Consider having a friend nearby to spot you.

Start Simply

• It is best to begin with simple exercises that will allow you to gradually work your way up to more advanced movements. For example, try standing with your feet together and your arms at your sides for 30 seconds. Later, when you are ready, try the same exercise with your eyes closed. You can do other exercises while sitting in a chair. For example, gently tilt your head from right to left and from front to back. Another simple vertigo exercise is shifting of your weight from toe to heel.

  When doing vertigo exercises it is always a good idea to protect yourself from a possible fall by standing near a wall and a chair, to give you support if needed.

  Select the exercises that you feel most comfortable with and practice them periodically throughout the day. Each person is unique and should move at her own pace to more advanced exercises after she feels she has mastered the simpler ones and has had progress with symptoms.

More Advanced

• Once you feel ready for slightly more difficult exercises, you might begin with trying to walk across a path covered with pillows. While it sounds very simple, to a person with vertigo it is surprisingly challenging.

  Dr. B. Todd Troost shares several exercises at his website, iVertigo.net. For example, the doctor recommends sitting on a couch or the edge of your bed and quickly leaning completely down on the left side and switching quickly switching to the right side.

  When performing exercises, it's possible that you may trigger vertigo symptoms. If this occurs, stop and try again after the symptoms fade. Do not let this discourage you into giving up.