Physiotherapy for Motion Sickness

At press (summertime) tens of thousands of Greater Vancouver BC households are preparing to hop on-or-in planes, trains, automobiles, and ships to explore the province, country, continent, and world. While vacation travel is exciting, it’s also anxiety-inducing for those who regularly experience motion sickness.

What is motion sickness, exactly? It is characterized by a feeling of nausea and disorientation that occurs when your body’s sensory systems send conflicting signals to the brain about movement from one point to another. Essentially, it happens when your inner ear, your eyes, and your body don’t concur on what they are collectively experiencing. The less “natural” a form of transport is to human physiology, the more likely motion sickness occurs, in general. It’s why electric vehicles such as certain Tesla models with strong regenerative braking (causing abrupt speed changes) coupled with the instant acceleration, can disrupt the body’s sense of motion and balance, leading to queasiness. The lack of unity between your body’s sensory systems leads to symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and vomiting.

Beyond the type of motion (via plane, train, auto, ship) the prevalence of motion sickness varies depending on factors such as age and gender. In regard to the former (age) children are more susceptible, with up to 70% experiencing motion sickness. As we get older it abates because our bodies eventually become more accustomed to the sensations associated with varying forms of transportation. Meanwhile, women are slightly more likely to experience motion sickness than men.

As someone who has grown weary of the travel associated nausea, dizziness, and vomiting (who wouldn’t) and prefer to avoid popping Gravol or other dimenhydrinate (antihistamine medication) delivery system, you have heard that physiotherapy for motion sickness is an effective solution. It absolutely can be. Below is a summary of what you need to know, and why you as a Greater Vancouver resident should come to our Burnaby clinic to prepare for a life of travel that is free from being queasy.

Overview of Physiotherapy Treatments for Motion Sickness (available at Absolute PhysioCare)

Vestibular Rehabilitation for Motion Sickness

Our Burnaby physiotherapy clinic is well known for our vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) services. VRT can be an effective treatment for motion sickness, as it retrains the brain to better process sensory information from the vestibular system (inner ear) and the visual system. Your physiotherapist will employ specific exercises that help your brain adapt to the conflicting signals that cause motion sickness through VRT.

Massage Therapy for Motion Sickness

While not as directly effective in making a sustainable difference in motion sickness, massage therapy can be employed to apply pressure to the P6 acupressure point (located on the inner forearm towards thew wrist) to help relieve nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness. Your physiotherapist will teach you how to apply the pressure (or have a travel companion do it) so that it can be done on the road, rail, air, or sea when symptoms begin to manifest.

Acupuncture for Motion Sickness