Description

Despite its prevalence amongst all age groups of the population, the vestibular pathology is often badly known by the general public and sometimes under diagnosed in the medical world.

This pathology can expresses itself through different symptoms such as true rotary vertigo, postural visual instabilities, intolerance to sensory conflicts (motion sickness…), intolerance to movements of the visual environment (visual balance dependency, agoraphobia…).

However, the understanding of the mechanisms and the identification of pathologies responsible for these symptoms progress regularly. In the same way, the possibility of treatment through rehabilitation is better apprehended by the public and the medical world. The effectiveness in these areas will be enhanced by following a highly specialised training. The sharp skills and the extensive clinical experience of the trainers in this discipline is a guarantee for efficiency.

Objectives and skills developed

Understanding of the systems and strategies involved in the construction of the balance, effects of the vestibular disorder and of senescence.

Understanding of the vestibular pathologies, pathophysiology, including sensations of discomfort depending on the visual environment.

Understanding the mechanisms of vestibular compensation thanks to brain plasticity, means of action, justifications and limitations.

Learning and mastering of rehabilitation strategies, rotary chair techniques, oculomotor training, compensation training, posture training…, presentation of the techniques and modalities, criticism.

Learning to recognise and interpret the vestibular nystagmus, differential analysis of central and peripheral nystagmus.

Autonomy in the use of the techniques will be facilitated by an instrumental work situation during the training (availability of a rotary chair, videonystagmoscopy glasses,….) as well as by filmed demonstrations.

Content and specificities

Anatomy-physiology of the actors intervening in the equilibration strategies: vestibular, somatosensory, and visual entries. Dizziness versus balance disorders.

Clinical and functional exploration of the dizzy patient : anamnesis, clinical examination, videonystagmoscopy, caloric tests, subjective visual vertical test, rotary chair, posturographic exam.

The equilibration function and the postural control in the healthy subject.

Etiological aspects of dizziness and of vestibular pathologies, evolution: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), otolithic syndrome, unilateral and bilateral deficiencies, vestibular compensation through neuronal plasticity.

The equilibration function and the postural control in the elderly subject: psycho-motor regression, presbyopia.

Anxiety and dizziness, dizziness and anxiety: identification and strategies, agoraphobia, isolated visual dependency.

Medical and surgical treatments.

Scalable medical care through rehabilitation and roles of the therapist(s) for the different vestibular pathologies, including the limitations of care, the recurrent aspects, the more specific care of the elderly subject, the outlook on the future of vestibular compensation.

40 hours of traineeship are foreseen in the programme in order to apply the theoretical and practical teaching received.

The day returning from the traineeship will be an opportunity to review, upon demand from your side, the situation on different topics and to exchange your first experiences.

Method and course material

In addition to the lectures and practical workshops, case discussions will be favored.

In this framework, lectures on nystagmus, based on the videos of patients, are foreseen in order for the participant to become familiar with the topic and to render her/him more autonomous in the understanding and the interpretation of nystagmus of vestibular origin.

Rehabilitation material will be put at your disposal, rendering the learning livelier and easier to integrate. Course documents covering the theoretical and practical aspects as well as an extensive bibliography will be provided to participants.

The presentations of the various trainers will be put on line and can be accessed by the participants through a password which will be given during the course.

Duration

The practical and theoretical training is spread out over 3 week-ends of 20 hours from Thursday morning until Saturday noon.

Theoretical teaching: 60 % of the total training.

Practical teaching: 40% of the total training.

Practical information 

Seminar 1
Trainers:
Date of courses: 20, 21 and 22 october 2016.