Vestibular Rehabilitation in Singapore
Dizziness, vertigo and unsteadiness can make ordinary things, turning your head, walking through a crowded place, getting out of bed, feel unreliable. At the Centre for Advanced Rehabilitation (CARe), our AHPC-registered physiotherapists assess how your balance system is coping, treat positional vertigo where it is found, and build an exercise-based programme around what the assessment shows.
Vestibular rehabilitation at CARe
Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise-based approach that may help with dizziness, vertigo and balance problems where an assessment indicates it is suitable. At the Centre for Advanced Rehabilitation (CARe) it sits within our wider physiotherapy service and is delivered by our AHPC-registered physiotherapists, part of a clinic team of physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Three of our physiotherapists specialise in this area: Chen Yanzhang, Principal Physiotherapist, Wong Jiayen, Principal Physiotherapist, and Kok Hua Jian, Senior Physiotherapist. Care is conservative: we do not perform surgery, injections or imaging, and we do not investigate the medical causes of dizziness. Where your presentation needs a doctor or an ENT specialist, your physiotherapist will say so.
When dizziness needs urgent medical care
Call 995 immediately, or go to the nearest emergency department, if dizziness or vertigo starts suddenly together with any of these: facial drooping, slurred speech, weakness or numbness down one side, new double vision or loss of vision, difficulty swallowing, confusion, a sudden severe headache, new hearing loss, loss of coordination, or new difficulty standing or walking. Sudden continuous vertigo with vomiting and marked unsteadiness also needs urgent assessment, even without those other signs, because it can occasionally reflect a problem in the brain rather than the inner ear. Do not wait for a physiotherapy appointment.
Also seek emergency care if dizziness comes with unexplained chest pain, fainting, severe breathlessness, or a racing or irregular heartbeat. If your dizziness began after a head injury, seek medical assessment as soon as you can, and treat a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, confusion, unusual drowsiness or a seizure as reasons to call 995.
How we approach dizziness and balance problems
Assessment first
Your physiotherapist will take a detailed history: what the dizziness feels like, how long episodes last, what sets them off, and how it affects walking, driving, work and sleep. Depending on what you describe, the physical assessment may look at head and eye movement control, balance, walking, and the neck. Symptoms people call dizziness come from several sources, so the point is to understand your pattern before setting a programme.
Gaze stabilisation and habituation exercises
Vestibular rehabilitation is built on graded exercise. Where clinically appropriate, your programme may include gaze stabilisation, which trains steady vision while the head moves, or habituation, where selected movements are repeated so the nervous system becomes less reactive to them. What is chosen depends on your assessment, and exercises are set to your tolerance.
Positional vertigo and repositioning manoeuvres
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the more common causes of short, intense spinning triggered by changes in head position, such as rolling over in bed or looking up. It happens when displaced crystals in the inner ear disturb the balance signal. Our physiotherapists assess for positional vertigo and, where the assessment supports it, treat it with repositioning manoeuvres such as the Epley or Semont, which guide those crystals back out of the affected canal. Some people need more than one treatment, and your physiotherapist will explain what to do afterwards and when to come back.
Balance and walking retraining
Balance work targets the situations you find difficult: standing on softer surfaces, turning, walking in busy or dimly lit places, or moving your head while walking. The aim is to rebuild steadiness where it matters in daily life.
The neck and other contributing factors
The neck contributes to balance and to your sense of head position, and neck pain or stiffness can occur alongside dizziness. Your physiotherapist will take that into account, while recognising that dizziness has other causes that may need medical review. Where the neck is relevant, treatment for it may form part of your plan; see our neck pain physiotherapy page.
Working with your doctor or ENT specialist
Many people come to us having already seen a GP, ENT specialist or neurologist. Bring any letters, hearing tests or imaging results.
What vestibular rehabilitation can help with
An exercise-based programme at CARe may be appropriate for:
- Positional vertigo (BPPV), where brief spinning is triggered by head movement
- Unsteadiness or lost balance confidence, particularly when walking or turning
- Dizziness lingering after an episode of vertigo has otherwise settled
- Sensitivity to movement, busy visual environments, or turning the head
- Balance difficulty contributing to a fear of falling
- Dizziness occurring alongside neck pain or stiffness
What to expect at your appointment
Your first session is an assessment: your symptom history, any physical tests your physiotherapist judges useful, and what you want to get back to doing. Your physiotherapist will explain the findings within the scope of physiotherapy. Where vestibular rehabilitation looks appropriate you will agree a starting programme; if not, you may be advised to seek medical assessment instead. Wear clothing you can move in, and if dizziness could affect your travel, arrange for someone to come with you rather than driving yourself.
Your home programme
Vestibular exercises work through short, frequent practice at home rather than the clinic session alone, so you will be given a clear programme and how often to do it. Some exercises, habituation in particular, may briefly provoke mild symptoms that then settle. Stop if symptoms are severe, prolonged or different from your usual pattern, and speak to your physiotherapist before resuming. If any of the urgent warning signs above appear, call 995 or go to an emergency department rather than waiting for your next appointment.
Our clinic locations
CARe @ Camden: 1 Orchard Boulevard, #11-05 Camden Medical Centre, Singapore 248649. Phone / WhatsApp: +65 8040 6409
CARe @ Parkway: 1 Marine Parade Central, #07-07 Parkway Centre, Singapore 449408. Phone / WhatsApp: +65 8040 6409
CARe @ Novena: 101 Irrawaddy Road, #17-10 Royal Square Medical Centre, Singapore 329565. Phone / WhatsApp: +65 8040 6409
Considering physiotherapy for dizziness or balance problems?
Book an assessment at any of our three clinics. Contact us and we will arrange a suitable time.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a referral for vestibular rehabilitation?
No, you can book an assessment with CARe directly. If a GP, ENT specialist or neurologist has seen you, bring their letter and any test results.
Will the exercises make me feel dizzy?
Some vestibular exercises, habituation in particular, may briefly bring on mild symptoms as part of how the nervous system adapts. It should stay manageable and settle. Your physiotherapist will start at a level you tolerate and adjust anything leaving you unwell.
Can physiotherapy treat BPPV?
Yes. Where the assessment supports positional vertigo, our physiotherapists treat it with repositioning manoeuvres such as the Epley or Semont. No referral is needed to be assessed. If your symptoms do not fit that pattern, or do not respond, your physiotherapist will tell you and may suggest a medical review.
Who will I see at CARe?
Three of our AHPC-registered physiotherapists specialise in this area: Chen Yanzhang and Wong Jiayen, both Principal Physiotherapists, and Kok Hua Jian, Senior Physiotherapist. Yanzhang trained at Curtin University, holds a Master of Clinical Physiotherapy, and has worked alongside specialists in vestibular and dizziness rehabilitation.