Vestibular Physiotherapy
Understanding the Vestibular System
Maintaining balance is a complex process that requires constant communication between your brain, eyes, inner ear, muscles and joints.
Your vestibular system is located within the inner ear and is responsible for sending signals to the brain about motion and head position.
It works closely with your eyes and muscles to keep you upright, stabilise your vision, and help you move confidently through space.
When this system becomes impaired — due to injury, illness, aging, or other health conditions — the communication between these senses can become disrupted, resulting in distressing symptoms
These symptoms include:
Spinning sensations (vertigo) or light-headedness
Unsteadiness or loss of balance
Blurred vision or visual instability
Sensitivity to movement, including car or travel sickness
Nausea and discomfort
Feeling disoriented or mentally foggy
Falls or near-falls
At Xcel Health Orpington, we offer specialist Vestibular Physiotherapy - a specialised form of therapy focused on diagnosing and treating disorders that affect any of the balance system. Whether your symptoms are new or longstanding, vestibular physiotherapy can help to take back control.
What Is Vestibular Physiotherapy?
Vestibular rehabilitation is a clinically proven approach that uses tailored exercises and other techniques to help our balance systems to compensate. This helps restore normal balance processing and reduce discomfort.
Your personalised treatment plan may include:
- 01 Targeted vestibular and balance retraining
- 02 Individualised movement and coordination exercises
- 03 Canalith repositioning techniques (e.g., for BPPV)
- 04 Education around symptom management and pacing
- 05 Guidance on safe activity planning, posture, and movement strategies
- 06Assessment and treatment of neck-related issues, including manual therapy if required
- 07A structured home rehabilitation programme
Benefits of Vestibular Rehabilitation
With professional support and a structured rehab plan, you may benefit from:
Reduced dizziness, vertigo, or balance issues
Improved stability and confidence in various settings
Safer mobility and reduced fall risk
Enhanced comfort while walking, exercising, or driving
Better participation in work, social life, or hobbies
Reduced anxiety around movement and improved quality of life
Conditions We Commonly Treat
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis
Unilateral or bilateral vestibular hypofunction
Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
Ménière’s disease
Vestibular migraine
Post-concussion syndrome
Balance difficulties related to aging
Neurological conditions (e.g., MS, stroke, brainstem disorders)
Generalised balance problems without a clear diagnosis
What to Expect at your first appointment
Your initial 60-minute consultation will be with a specially trained physiotherapist who will carry out a comprehensive assessment, including:
Detailed discussion about your symptoms, triggers, and medical background
Review of any scans, reports, or medications (bring these along if available)
Examination of eye and head movements, coordination, and reflexes
Gait and balance testing in static and dynamic positions
Positional tests for conditions like BPPV
Screening for any involvement of the neck or cervical spine
For more information, please complete the short form below
Know Your Pain
GOOGLE REVIEWS
"Just finished a course of physiotherapy on a calf injury at Xcel Health and can't praise them enough. Friendly, welcoming and professional staff and my physio Xavier has been excellent throughout, providing great treatment and advice. This isn't my first visit to Xcel Heath and when I found that I needed treatment, there was only one place I was looking to go. Highly recommend."
- Mark Bullen, 2 weeks ago
"We recently moved down from London having used the same physio for years who was excellent. Over the past 3 years I have tried three physiotherapists in the Sittingbourne area and I have finally found through a friend's recommendation probably the best one of all. I was treated by Xavier who completely cured an extremely painful back which I've had for years following surgery I can't thank him enough and would highly recommend Xcel."
- Stephen Quirke, 3 weeks ago
"Hi, I'm Carolyne Holding and I've recently had a course of physio treatment at Xcel health. I've had problems with kneck & shoulder pain/tension and have found my treatment at Xcel most beneficial. I cannot thank them enough. I would certainly recommend their practice to anyone. And finally a very big thankyou to Desiree Vaz who treated me"
- robert holding, 3 weeks ago
"I have had several sessions with Desiree and she has been so helpful!! Came to see her with a strained thumb joint that was causing me severe pain for months. A few sessions with her along with the exercises she gave me and I no longer have any pain in my hand!! Would definitely recommend Xcel Health to friends and family."
- Nicola Smith, a months ago
"My experience at Xcel Health was wonderful. The staff are welcoming, friendly, hospitable and professional. My practitioner was Anagha Chandrashekhar and she is very good at what she does. She made all my physio sessions interesting and helpful. She taught me some new exercises which helped to alleviate the pain in my back and strengthen my biceps. She is very calm, patient and friendly. Every session I attended was good and no complaints. I will definitely recommend Xcel Health to friends."
- Oluwasesan Adamolekun, a months ago
"I had my first treatment with V. She was amazing, she made me feel relaxed, talked me through each stage in terminology I understood and I left in a lot less pain than I arrived with! I can’t recommend V enough. Thank you!"
- Eve S, 2 months ago
"Xcel Health is amazing! My son (age 8) first had treatment there and amazing and big improvements. So helpful. I am having treatment for my ankle and walking issues with Xavier. The pain has gone from 10(being the worst) to 4 and that’s in four appointments. I can now walk without pain, put shoes without pain and now go back too exercise!! I can even go running without pain. Xavier is great and makes me feel comfortable and explains everything in detail."
- Rebecca King, 3 months ago
"I have just had my third session with Xavier and am beyond delighted with my experience of Xcel Health. Xavier is a tremendous physio but what has struck me most about the whole process is the welcoming nature of the entire team.The guys clearly care about the mental health side as much as the physical and are easy to talk to and extremely empathetic.I would recommend Xcel to anybody, outstanding service!"
- Danny Essen, 3 months ago
"I was pretty confident I knew what the problem was when I arrived for my first appointment. It turned out to be something completely different.Xavier explained everything really well without going too technical. I like to understand what’s going on and how to fix it so it was really refreshing that Xavier did that without needing to ask him. I have exercises to help support my recovery but not just a bit of paper or a video to watch, Xavier asked me to do each exercise before I left so that I could feel what muscles I’m trying to engage and He could make adjustments to my positioning so that I get the most out of my effort."
- louisajayne, 3 months ago
"Xcel Health is amazing! My son (age 8) first had treatment there and amazing and big improvements. So helpful. I am having treatment for my ankle and walking issues with Xavier. The pain has gone from 10(being the worst) to 4 and that’s in four appointments. I can now walk without pain, put shoes without pain and now go back too exercise!! I can even go running without pain. Xavier is great and makes me feel comfortable and explains everything in detail."
- Rebecca King, 3 months ago
