Dizziness and balance disorders
Brain Camp is a leading center of expertise in the investigation and adaptation of customized rehabilitation for dizziness conditions caused by, among others, BPPV, balance nerve virus, PPPD, ganglion cyst, vestibular migraine, and traumatic head injury. We use advanced technologies to map functional disorders in the sensory system to tailor neurological rehabilitation to provide targeted solutions that improve the quality of life of our patients.
Common dizziness conditions we treat
BPPV (Positional dizziness)
BPPV is the most common cause of dizziness and affects over 10% of the population during their lifetime.
The condition occurs when small particles in the inner ear become loose and cause attacks of intense dizziness, usually lasting 5-10 seconds at a time. BPPV dizziness is triggered by head movements. such as when you lie down and turn in bed, get up from a lying position to a sitting position, bend forward to pick something up, or tilt your head back to look for something. We offer precise examination with video oculography and treatment with a TRV chair, which provides effective results and reduces the risk of recurrence.
Mal de Débarquement syndrome (MdDs) (Disembarkation syndrome)
MdD is a dizziness syndrome that is also caused by functional disorders in the brain's ability to coordinate and process sensory input.
This is a rarer form of dizziness, but the dizziness and accompanying symptoms can be experienced as very similar to those of PPPD. But there is one thing in particular that distinguishes MdDs from PPPD and other forms of chronic dizziness. The dizziness of MdDs temporarily disappears or is significantly reduced in intensity when, for example, driving a car. But returns again immediately the car stops, and is then often more intense than before the actual drive began. Through tailored neurological rehabilitation and more frequent evaluations with advanced computer-based equipment, we can reduce dizziness and improve tolerance to both sensory impressions and activity.
Neurological disease
Dizziness is a very common symptom of neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis (MS).
The wear and tear and damage that the disease causes to the brain and nervous system can be the cause of dizziness and impaired balance. However, it is not uncommon to see the combination of neurological disease and other harmless forms of dizziness. Such as impaired balance and reaction ability as a result of Parkinson's disease, and dizziness caused by BPPV. It is therefore important to do a comprehensive examination that challenges all parts of the balance and coordination system in order to put together a complete tailored rehabilitation plan.
Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
This chronic condition is often triggered by acute vestibular events such as BPPV, vestibular neuritis, or migraine.
PPPD is caused by dysfunction in the brain's ability to coordinate and process different sensory inputs simultaneously. Patients experience persistent dizziness and a number of other symptoms that are triggered or worsened by activity and exposure to sensory inputs. Especially visual inputs. Our approach with the help of advanced examination equipment and tailored neurological rehabilitation can teach the brain to coordinate and process sensory inputs in a better way so that dizziness and accompanying symptoms are improved.
Traumatic head injury
Head injuries, including concussions, can cause lasting balance and dizziness problems as a result of damage to the vestibular system, or the brain's ability to process and coordinate different sensory inputs.
In the event of a head trauma, one can get a combination of several of the above-mentioned forms of dizziness. Including BPPV as a result of the head trauma itself, developing vestibular migraine as a stress reaction as a result of the functional disorders in the brain caused by the head trauma, and impaired balance and coordination as a result of the head trauma. It is therefore essential to have a comprehensive and thorough functional examination to map which parts of the brain and nervous system need training.
Vestibular Neuritis (Virus on the balance nerve)
Inflammation of the vestibular nerve is the most common form of dizziness and causes acute, intense dizziness similar to BPPV. However, this dizziness lasts longer.
You may experience a constant feeling of dizziness that lasts for hours, days or weeks. And is worsened by any movement of the head. Including getting up from a lying down to a sitting position and other changes in head position such as in BPPV, walking and making sudden movements of the head. Although many experience improvement within a few weeks, as many as 30% experience long-term problems with dizziness. Our treatment focuses on restoring balance functions through rehabilitation and adapted exercises.
Vestibular Migraine
Vestibular migraine is one of the most common causes of recurrent attacks of dizziness, often accompanied by headache, hypersensitivity to sound and light, nausea, and fatigue.
Migraine attacks cause temporary or long-term functional disorders in several areas of the brain that involve, among other things, balance, coordination, orientation, sensory perception, and pain simultaneously. Our comprehensive neurological examination maps the functional disorders of the brain and nervous system and gives us a good foundation for how the tailored neurological rehabilitation should be put together. The goal of tailored neurological rehabilitation is to improve tolerance to sensory impressions and activity before migraine attacks are triggered, and reduce the frequency, intensity and duration of migraine attacks.
Optimal Rehabilitation at Brain Camp
Brain dysfunction can make it difficult to process and coordinate multiple sensory inputs at the same time. This affects the brain's ability to activate different areas with different functions at the same time, which is crucial for interpreting the environment around us and how we move, to distinguish whether it is the environment or things around us that are moving or our physical movement, to perform smooth and coordinated physical movements, and cognitive abilities. Brain dysfunction also causes secondary brain dysfunction. Where parts of the brain that are not normally activated during certain tasks are activated, while other parts of the brain that are normally activated remain inactive. The combinations of these primary and secondary dysfunctions may explain why many people with complex dizziness conditions often experience limited effect from traditional physical treatment and rehabilitation, such as muscle and joint treatment or physical exercise alone.
Our rehabilitation philosophy is therefore that it is essential to have a broad and comprehensive functional examination with advanced computer-based equipment to map both primary and secondary functional disorders in the brain and nervous system in order to obtain the most information possible on how the individual's rehabilitation should be initiated. Watch the video below that demonstrates some of the advanced examination equipment we use. These tests are also important tools to confirm whether the tailored rehabilitation affects the sensory system as desired. We often experience that rehabilitation, which is initially tailored according to findings during the first assessment, can worsen several of the tests upon re-evaluation later in the rehabilitation process. This can happen even if all previous examinations indicate that the brain and nervous system need a specific type of stimuli or exercise. The reasons for this can be several. Including the stimuli or exercise that are given are too challenging and stressful for the brain and nervous system to process, or the brain dysfunction causes new compensation mechanisms that cause the brain and nervous system to not respond as normal. When we see this, we fine-tune the exercises and treatment and then re-test until we find the combination that best affects the tests. In this way, we are able to tailor rehabilitation as best as possible to optimize the opportunity to improve both symptoms and quality of life.
Why choose us?
Advanced technology
Advanced computer-based testing equipment provides us with objective information about how the brain and nervous system are functioning. Including video nystagmography, which measures coordination and control over purposeful eye movements, vHIT, which measures the function of the balance nerve, and data-based balance measurement, which measures the brain's ability to coordinate multiple sensory inputs simultaneously. We use these tests to map the functions of the brain and nervous system, and to confirm whether the tailored neurological rehabilitation has had the desired effect on brain function. We are also one of the few clinics in Europe that can offer treatment of BPPV using the TRV chair.
Holistic approach
We perform a comprehensive assessment of brain dysfunction and adapt rehabilitation based on the weaknesses and dysfunctions revealed by the examination. Not just based on the symptoms you are experiencing.
Expertise
Our team has broad and long-standing experience in examining and tailoring neurological rehabilitation for people from all over Europe with complex dizziness conditions.
Reviews from the doctor list
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Visiting address:
Brain Camp
Vestre Strandgate 42
5th floor
4612 Kristiansand
Norway