# Vestibular Therapists: Manchester/North West region (UK)
**URL:** https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839
**Category:** Physicians, Specialists, Clinics & Visits šØāāļøš©āāļø
**Tags:** neurologist, nhs, vestibular-migraine, vertigo
**Created:** [August 31, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839 "2023-08-31T15:25:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dizzi-Tired](https://mvertigo.org/u/Dizzi-Tired)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839/1 "2023-08-31T15:25:59Z")
Hi All, Does anyone know of a good vestibular therapist in the (UK) midlands or Manchester area? Thanks.
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### Author:  [@DizzyandConfused](https://mvertigo.org/u/DizzyandConfused)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2023, 11:43am UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839/2 "2023-09-02T11:43:10Z")
I dont but Iām in contact with an NHS vestibular physio who calls me every 6 weeks. Sheās based in Oxford and as I dont drive its awkward to see her in person as its so convoluted getting to her, although sheās offered to see me. She also emails exercises and links to videos I might find helpful. There are also loads of vestibular rehab exercises on Youtube.
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### Author:  [@turnitaround](https://mvertigo.org/u/turnitaround)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2023, 12:03pm UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839/3 "2023-09-02T12:03:14Z")
Have you used the search function?
> [@New here too, just been reading messages and trying to pluck up the courage!](https://mvertigo.org/t/new-here-too-just-been-reading-messages-and-trying-to-pluck-up-the-courage/19047/8):
>
> Hi Caroline. Dr Zermansky at Salford, Manchester. Ask your GP to refer you. Helen
> [@Advice on vertigo symptoms please](https://mvertigo.org/t/advice-on-vertigo-symptoms-please/20435/5):
>
> Lee. Sorry. I misread that bit. Thought it was you that had seen him. Heās very elusive it seems but lots of here have seen him and multiple times and have his contact details. Iāve a feeling they were actually posted on here but may be wrong. @Coffey6810 or @sputnik2 can easily help I suspect. This site is worldwide but thereās a few U.K. active members at any one time so we have quite a network of experience of various clinics etc. Thereās Dr Silver of the Walton Centre at Liverpool, hā¦
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### Author:  [@Dizzi-Tired](https://mvertigo.org/u/Dizzi-Tired)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839/4 "2023-09-02T13:08:34Z")
Thanks both.
@turnitaround, I searched for ātherapists Manchesterā which presumably would have missed Dr. Z.
Speaking as an ex-pat Mancunian, I think most people from Salford would be non-too happy at hearing their beloved city being referred to as āSalford, Manchesterā ! (Lol). However, Helen was brilliant, bless her, and I miss her insights and wisdom. š
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### Author:  [@turnitaround](https://mvertigo.org/u/turnitaround)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2023, 1:10pm UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839/5 "2023-09-02T13:10:37Z")
No issues! Yeah, search can be pernickety! š
And in any case your Topic can be used to gather NW specialists going forward.
> [@Dizzi-Tired](#):
>
> However, Helen was brilliant, bless her, and I miss her insights and wisdom. š
Yes! A great loss for us all ā¹ However I suspect sheās getting them all in order up there in the stars now š ā¤
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### Author:  [@Dizzi-Tired](https://mvertigo.org/u/Dizzi-Tired)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2023, 12:38pm UTC](https://mvertigo.org/t/vestibular-therapists-manchester-north-west-region-uk/22839/6 "2023-10-31T12:38:59Z")
So, why was I looking for a vestibular therapist in the first place and how did I get on? Hopefully, others may benefit from my experience so here goes.
First of all, some background. Iāve suffered from a vestibular disorder for five years following a bout of labyrinthitis in 2018. I was initially diagnosed with a middle ear infection then āpositional vertigoā and finally āincomplete compensation following acute labyrinthitisā. I managed the condition with Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises, following medical advice, and Betahistine. In May of this year, I was contacted by the Audiology Dept. of my local hospital who advised that I was being discharged as an outpatient as they said theyād done everything they could for me even though I still had symptoms.
This put me in a bit of a quandary: I still had dizziness type symptoms every day but no medical authority who could help. Since the NHS (I live in the UK) couldnāt do anything I decided to enlist the help of a vestibular therapist.
The next challenge was to find a suitable one. A web search identified a number of vestibular therapists many of whom work for conventional physiotherapists. This concerned me somewhat as I didnāt fancy signing up with someone who practiced the vestibular stuff as an adjunct to massaging muscles and joints. A solution was to look for therapists qualified in vestibular therapy. There are two appropriate qualifications (there may be more): membership of the Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA) and Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Vestibular Rehabilitation (ACPIVR). Of course, I donāt know if these qualifications are obtained by examination or simply by joining a professional body but they at least display an interest of sorts.
Another factor I used in drawing up a short list was means of contact. I have to confess to feeling a bit wary of businesses that offer only a mobile phone number for getting in touch. Nothing wrong with mobiles of course ā most people have one ā but for me a business relying on its communication with the outside world on a mobile phone does not suggest stability or reliability. And Iāve lost count of the number of times Iāve phoned a tradesmanās mobile only for it to ring out unanswered or being invited to leave a voice mail message which is subsequently not returned.
My short list consisted of five therapists who appeared to fit the bill. Two of them I discounted on the grounds of distance. One of them sounded great: her web site described my symptoms to a āTā but, unfortunately, she was based in London. The other, an āaward winningā, dizziness and balance specialist, was located in West Yorkshire which would have meant a nearly four-hour round trip by car (I live in Staffordshire). I may well have to bite the ātravel and expenseā bullet on this one if my eventual choice of therapist doesnāt work out so Iām keeping these two in reserve.
Of the rest, there were a couple in Manchester (more accessible by road and rail) one of which was offering free telephone consultations. However, when I contacted them about this they said a personal consultation would be much more suitable. And at a cost of Ā£200 I donāt doubt it!! They were also unable to confirm whether their staff had any qualifications in vestibular therapy.
Slightly nearer to home, I found Wilmslow Physio. Their vestibular therapist held the ACPIVR qualification and was happy to talk to me over the phone about my condition and whether sheād be able to help. Their rates were also more reasonable than the aforementioned Manchester practice. I duly booked a session with their vestibular therapist, Cathy.
My first session was last month and has yielded positive results already including a new diagnosis: persistent, postural, perceptual dizziness or triple P for short. PPPD has received a mixed response from the dizziness and balance community since it was first classified in 2017 (there are posts about it on the forum). For me, though, it at least provides the makings of a diagnosis whereas previously I had nothing other than the unhelpful āfailure to compensate ā¦ā.
The other positive outcome was a fresh set of exercises to replace the Cawthorne-Cooksey stuff Iāve been doing three times a day (go on, sometimes I missed one) for the past four years. Cathy told me that these exercises are very old now and are not usually prescribed. The new exercises always stimulate a response from my vestibular system whereas the others did not.
So instead of doing three lots of CC three times a day for 10-15 minutes to very little effect, I now do one set of the new exercises for up to 10 minutes plus around 10 minutes of optokinetic work most days. Itās early days yet but Iām seeing slight improvements already and am optimistic that my overall condition will improve albeit slowly.