GyroStim 101: Vestibular Stimulation
GyroStim has been around since 2010, providing both neurologic treatment and training to people from all walks of life for countless different reasons. Today, fifteen years later, GyroStim is used in eight countries around the world in clinics, research labs, sports facilities, and military installations.
Different things to different people
Even with this longevity, answering the simple question: "What is GyroStim?" is far from simple. Many people recognize GyroStim as the spinning chair Sidney Crosby used when he had a concussion, others know GyroStim as the device a father invented for his daughter with cerebral palsy. GyroStim is also known as an athletic performance training tool, therapy for TBI, great for regulating autism and ADHD, helpful in Parkinson's and MS, effective for motion desentitization and more, and more, depending on context.
The common denominator: vestibular stimulation
All of these definitions are true, However, none of them address the essential question of what GyroStim is, and how it can be applied in such a variety of situations. None of these definitions talk about the common denominator across these example: vestibular stimulation in order to challenge, heal, and condition the vesibular system.
GyroStim has been cleared by the FDA for use in the treatment of vestibular dysfunction.
For concussion patients, this means addressing symptoms such as headache, nausea, dizziness and other symptoms that are common following the initial injury.
For patients with neurologic conditions like cerebral palsy, this means providing repetitive opportunity to engage with motion and wire up neuro pathways.
For athletes this means training to be at and stay at the top of the game with better situational awareness, reflexes, decisiveness and more.
For TBI patients this means an accessible, gradual means to reintegrate of the sensory motor system during rehabilitation.
For patients with ADHD or Autism this means intense vestibular stimulation in a safe controlled environment.
For Parkinson's or MS patients this means sensory stimulation to promote improved motor coordination.
For pilots and astronauts this means incremented exposure to motion and rotation to condition sensorimotor responses.
To learn more about the vestibular system and essential it is to human function, visit VEDA, the Vestibular Disorders Association.