Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises

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The aims of the Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises include relaxing the neck and shoulder muscles, training the eyes to move independently of the head, practicing good balance in everyday situations, practicing the head movements that cause dizziness (to help the development of vestibular compensation), improving general co-ordination and encouraging natural unprompted movement.

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As a general rule, you should build up gradually from one set of exercises to the next, spending one to two minutes on each exercise. The dizziness problems may worsen for a few days after you start the exercises, but you should persevere through them.

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To pace your progress with the exercises you may try using a ‘number rating scale’. For example, a 0 to 5  scale for the severity of your symptoms (0 no symptoms and 5 severe symptoms). It would be advisable to start each exercise at a level that you would rate as a 2 or 3 (i.e. Exercises elicit mild to moderate symptoms but resolve quickly after stopping the exercise). You would only move on to the next exercise once the current exercise evokes a 0 rating for three days in a row. Please be aware that it may take a few days for you to adapt to the exercises. It is advised to avoid exercises that you would rate a 4 or 5 on the scale.  A diary helps to keep track of the exercises and when to advance. 

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Ensure that you are in a safe environment before you start any exercises to reduce the risk of injury. Do not start any exercises if you feel you are at risk of falling without safety measures to stop this. It is also important to note that you may experience dizziness while doing these exercises. This is completely normal.

 

1. In bed or sitting

   A. Eye movements

      •    Up and down
      •    From side to side
      •    Focusing on finger moving from three feet to one foot away from face

  B. Head movements
     •    Bending forwards and backwards
     •    Turning from side to side

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2. Sitting
  A. Eye and head movements, as 1
  B. Shrug and circle shoulders
  C. Bend forward and pick up objects from the ground
  D. Bend side to side and pick up objects from the ground

 

3. Standing
  A. Eye, head and shoulder movements, as 1 and 2
  B. Change from a sitting to a standing position with eyes open, then closed (please note this is not advised for the elderly with        postural hypertension)
  C. Throw a ball from hand to hand above eye level
  D. Throw a ball from hand to hand under the knee
  E. Change from a sitting to a standing position, turning around in between

 

4. Moving about
  A. Walk up and down a slope
  B. Walk up and down steps
  C. Throw and catch a ball
  D. Any game involving stooping, stretching and aiming (for example, bowling)
 

courtesy of House Ear Institute,  a Youtube Video 

                                                                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epJ1luFyF2o

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