How many tools can 1 man have? My husband has a garage full of tools and often goes to Home Depot to add to his “toolkit”. The garage seems to have everything he could need but with every season there seems to come a new project and every project requires a different tool. He goes to Home Depot so often that I joke there must be an underground bar there! The fact is that when he has the necessary tools the job is done in significantly less time. This is true when it comes to your health as well so having the tools on hand can help when issues arise. Be prepared by knowing what should be in your vestibular toolkit and having those items together and readily available. I promise it will help to be prepared.
A toolkit is something clinicians refer to as a group of items or strategies that go together. I like to think of it as my bag of tricks. Some tools are to manage the symptoms while other tools might help the recovery process.
According to Collins Dictionary the official definition is:
A tool kit is a special set of tools that are kept together and that are often used for a particular purpose. 2. countable noun. A tool kit is the set of skills, abilities, knowledge, or other things needed in order to do a particular task or job.
A few examples of toolkits are listed below
- Stress management toolkit
- Car repair toolkit
- Gardening toolkit
- Post-surgical toolkit
When it comes to your vestibular toolkit here are my top 5 items to have on hand.
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Weighted blanket: The vestibular system is 1 of the 3 systems that give us our sense of balance. When the information being received is incorrect we rely on the other senses to correct that. A weighted blanket gives information to the somatosensory system and can reduce the sense of dizziness.
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Water: Hydration is of high importance to reduce your vestibular symptoms. Water is always best option. If you do not naturally enjoy water make it more enjoyable by adding fruit, basil, or mint to a pitcher and make it spa style water.
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Mindfulness app: Mindfulness can reduce symptoms and help keep secondary anxiety at bay. Use an app like calm, headspace, or mindfulness. These apps can support meditation, sleep, and relaxation which are all proven to help the healing ability of our bodies.
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Exercise options: Our health can fluctuate and something that helps recovery is exercise. Have a workout option that does not affect your dizziness. This may mean a stationary bike or workout videos that do not cause an overload to your vestibular system. VIZSTIM is an exercise option specifically created for vestibular exercises found at vizstim.com.
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A vestibular therapist: Not all therapists treat the vestibular system. Education on this specialty is limited in physical therapy school and it is something chosen as a specialty which therapists can take continuing education in after school. You can search vestibular.org for a list of providers in your area or ask what specialties the providers have when you contact a clinic. If you have recurrent vestibular issues you should have a vestibular therapist who can assess you and give you a customized treatment plan.
