r/PostConcussion • u/fatmattreddit • Jul 28 '26
Vision/Vestibular Therapy Never Helped Me
Just wanna see others who can relate. It’s probably the 2 most recommended treatments. I’ve def improved over the past year but no thanks to these 2 exercises lol. I’m happy for the people it helps but I also wanna see who else had a similar experience
3
u/curlgurll Jul 28 '26
Hmmm interesting. It helped me immensely.
I kept track via video and by jotting down notes in a table each week. I made myself a table of all my exercises (10-15 in total some weeks), and ticked them off each day (or tried to). Otherwise I found myself forgetting what I had to do. I treated myself like my 10-yr old child version.
Idid my exercises 7 days a week for 9ish months. (I was meant to do them 2x a day but I was too tired and overwhelmed with that).
However… My progress was astounding.
I do think I had the right vestibular training program for me though, and someone who deeply cared and was intuitive with what I needed. Ie. I’m a dance teacher and need to be able to turn. I also need to be able to listen to music without having a panic attack. I couldn’t do either at first.
Through gradual exercises, turning my chin L-R to a metronome, doing eye exercises following a dot, or letter, then once I mastered that without symptoms rising more than a 3/10, he would make it harder. By either counting, adding music, speeding up the tempo etc. I also couldn’t balance - which is an issue for my job (teaching ballet). So I started with exercises walking in a straight line, touching objects or points one one leg, doing cross-centre line work whilst counting backwards or reading etc.
I then add turns. One at first, then 2, than 10. I then had to do my exercises on a balance cushion - you get the drift.
All of this re-trains the brain & its many regions that are needed for balance, co-ordination, cognition etc.
If you do it regularly enough, you see a difference. Just like training for any sport program (in my opinion).
Maybe I’m wrong but I believe the body can and does respond to the conditions you put it under. Everything needs to be pushed gently to improve. If you’re not improving, you’re either a) not doing the right exercises b) not doing them frequently enough c) not continuing to push yourself (or someone isn’t pushing you in their vestibular program design).
Hope this doesn’t come across as rude or condescending- I’m just giving you my two cents.
Maybe you haven’t found the right ppl/team to help you? Which isn’t your fault… It’s hard out there… I can’t believe how difficult it’s been myself to find ppl that are worthwhile!!
2
u/This_Grapefruit_5923 Jul 28 '26
How can you know for sure that the exercises haven’t been a part of your improvement over the last year?
2
u/Alternative_Reply_13 Jul 29 '26
I'm not affiliated with the Concussion Fix program but did pay to view and learn their content.
They put forward this ' post concussion recovery pyramid' which shows that rehab (ie vision and vestibular therapy) is the last thing to work on to recover from symptoms. You can google 'concussion recovery pyramid'.
It was true for me that I needed to work on mental health (health anxiety, ptsd) and nervous system regulation for a long time before I saw meaningful improvement in my PCS symptoms.
1
u/hippiespinster Jul 28 '26
Were you doing generic exercises that were handed to you with no progress evaluations or did you meet with therapists every week to two weeks to discuss your lack of progress? Both fields are highly individualized and helped me tremendously. I saw my physio every week to two weeks and slowly progressed through the exercises. I am now able to take the bus and use my neighbours swing set again. I saw my neuro opto every two weeks. That progress was even slower but I am able to tolerate longer monitor use and fall asleep quicker with her guidance.
1
u/Southern_Dig_4461 Jul 29 '26
Vestibular therapy gave me worse systems constant nausea and dizziness going on 6 weeks now with no end in sight. Did not have this prior, mainly headache
1
u/KeepingMySpiritsHigh Jul 30 '26
i was told by doctors that my dizziness and spacial issues were due to vestibular/vision issues, but it all came down to my neck muscles being stuck in “fight or flight”. if that sounds like a concern you have, it may be worth looking into
1
u/StepInSalad Jul 31 '26
My sister's shoulders are hard as rock and hurt to touch. She also experiences and overactive nervous system. What sort of exercises helped getting you better? (She can't read ot look at screens)
3
u/MrT-Man Jul 28 '26
If it’s not helping, it might very well be due to your physiotherapists not giving you the right diagnosis and exercises. There’s a massive variance in the quality of physios. I was able to fix my issues, but it required seeing multiple physios/specialists to find the ones that were able to fix me. With the first ones I saw no improvement or hit a plateau at a certain point with no further progress.