How long does vestibular rehabilitation take?

Vestibular rehabilitation can take varying periods of time and can be dependent on many factors, such as:

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• the extent of the vestibular loss.   If a patient has bilateral loss then the outcome will not be the same as that for a unilateral dysfunction. 

• if a patient has frequent acute episodes of Ménière’s disease or migraine, then the benefit of rehabilitation is limited until the attacks reduce and more time is in between them for rehabilitation to be effective.

• adequate sleep

• anxiety or depression

• how many adjustments have been made to routine life or the number of activities that have been stopped due to the symptoms

• supervision during rehabilitation programs

• if patients continue to take vestibular suppressants (stemetil, stugeron or serc) after the acute period has passed, which is approximately one week.  The exception is if these medications have been prescribed by a specialist for Ménière’s disease. 

• compliance with migraine medication, as indicated

 

However, it is important to note that research has shown that age and the duration of symptoms does not affect the rehabilitation outcome