If you have someone with PPPD or suspect it, this is the episode for you! Dr. Haylie Leighton, PT, DPT, NCS is clinical director at Advanced Neurologic Rehabilitation in Arizona and she is here to explain what Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (or PPPD) is, how to evaluate it, and how to treat it. 

In the show you’ll learn all about this chronic functional disorder, which falls under the umbrella of Functional Neurologic Disorders (or FND). Haylie will break down the 5 diagnostic criteria to rule it in: 1) Unsteadiness lasting most days for at least 3 months, 2) Persistent dizziness without provocation that can be made by worse by standing upright, active/passive movement, or a complex visual environment, 3) The person may have have past vestibular insult, 4) It is connected to high functional distress (ex - high scores on the Dizziness Handicap Index) 5) Other central signs or causes of dizziness have been ruled out.

In PPPD maladaptive strategies are developed, where the nervous system uses different strategies for balance. It can provoke anxiety, so we discuss how it differs from anxiety-related dizziness.  

Learn what key tests and measures to perform in your evaluation, which screens to perform, and the best treatment approach for optimal outcomes. There is a 3-pronged approach to treatment, which includes vestibular rehabilitation, medication, and psychology or cognitive-behavioral therapy. For therapists, best practice treatment may include: the OPTIMAL theory approach, habituation training, autonomic regulation, VOR, sensory reweighting, vision rehab, AHA walking program. Tune in to hear all the details and this complicated condition explained so you can help people recover from it once and for all!   

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