If you have suffered a Vestibular "attack" in the past, such as a Labyrinthitis or a Vestibular Neuronitis, your balance system may have made an adequate enough recovery to allow you to function without signs and symptoms. The brain will have adapted the way it interprets information from the inputs of the Vestibular (Balance) System. This is known as plasticity (the brain's ability to re-program a task via a differnt pathway). However, it must be remembered that the Balance System still carries an injury and the brain has simply adapted to it.

 

Decompensation simply means that the brain has 'forgotten' the adaptation that it put in place to restore you to a normal life. Any interruption to your daily routine, a cold, flu or stress may trigger Decompensation. Despite the absence of any infection, you will be stripped back to the symptoms that you initially had. This will manifest itself as dizziness or disequilibrium lasting seconds to minutes after certain movements.

 

Recovery from Decompensation is exactly the same as it would be from your original condition but is much FASTER. Unfortunately, the brain will quickly associate certain environmental situations as triggers for "dizzy spells" and can lead to Panic Attacks which can also cause dizziness. This convinces the patient that the original condition has returned. In the case of Decompensation, this is in fact untrue.

 

Remember, you are NOT suffering from the original condition and recovery will be FASTER. We offer a Councelling and Relaxation Service for the treatment of Panic Attacks and can provide you with a taylor-made exercise program to quickly restore you to a normal lifestyle.