Motion Sickness Assessment in Calgary
We identify the neurological and vestibular factors contributing to motion sickness and create personalized care program designed to reduce symptoms and improve your tolerance to movement.
Not Sure about your symptoms? Book a Case Review Phone Consultation today!
What Is Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness is a condition that develops when your sensory systems disagree about your body's movement. For example, while reading in a moving vehicle, your inner ears detect motion, but your eyes are focused on a stationary book. The brain receives conflicting information, triggering symptoms such as nausea and dizziness. Although motion sickness is common, frequent or severe episodes may suggest that your vestibular system is not processing movement efficiently.
Common Symptoms of Motion Sickness
Motion sickness affects people differently. Some individuals experience only mild discomfort, while others develop symptoms that make travelling or participating in everyday activities difficult. Symptoms usually begin during or shortly after exposure to movement, but they can sometimes continue for several hours after the motion has stopped.
The most common symptom is nausea, which may range from a mild unsettled stomach to severe nausea with vomiting. Many people also notice dizziness, lightheadedness, or a sensation that their body is moving even when they are sitting still. Cold sweats, pale skin, increased salivation, fatigue, headache, and a general feeling of discomfort are also common. Some individuals report difficulty concentrating, blurred vision, or feeling unusually sleepy after travelling.
Common Causes of Vertigo
Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting information from the body's sensory systems. Your eyes, inner ears, muscles, and joints continuously work together to tell your brain where you are in space. When these systems disagree, the brain struggles to interpret the information correctly, resulting in motion sickness. A common example occurs while reading in a moving car. Your eyes are focused on a stationary book, while your inner ears detect acceleration, turns, and bumps in the road. Because these signals do not match, the brain interprets the conflict as abnormal, triggering symptoms such as nausea and dizziness.
Motion sickness can occur during travel by car, airplane, boat, train, or bus. It may also develop while using virtual reality headsets, playing certain video games, watching immersive screens, or spending time in motion simulators. This type of motion sensitivity is sometimes referred to as visually induced motion sickness or cybersickness. Some people are naturally more susceptible than others. Children between the ages of 2 and 12 commonly experience motion sickness, although symptoms often improve with age.
How We Assess Motion Sickness
Our assessment focuses on identifying why your brain is becoming overwhelmed by motion rather than simply managing the symptoms. We assess eye movements, balance, coordination, posture, gaze stability, and vestibular reflexes to identify areas that may not be functioning optimally. Depending on your symptoms, objective testing may also be recommended. This can include Video-Oculography (VOG) to analyze eye movements, Video Head Impulse Testing (vHIT) to assess vestibular function, computerized balance testing, and other neurological assessments.
Motion Sickness Care Approach
Care is individualized based on your examination findings, symptoms, goals, and progress throughout care. It may include vestibular rehabilitation exercises, gaze stabilization training, balance rehabilitation, visual motion desensitization, eye movement exercises, cervical rehabilitation when appropriate, and functional neurological rehabilitation designed to improve sensory integration. Understanding your triggers and learning practical strategies to reduce symptom provocation can help you travel more comfortably while your nervous system adapts during rehabilitation.
When should you seek help for Motion Sickness?
Occasional motion sickness during travel is common and does not necessarily indicate an underlying medical condition. However, you should seek professional assessment if motion sickness occurs during routine daily activities, develops suddenly without an obvious trigger, persists after movement has stopped, or is accompanied by ongoing dizziness, balance problems, hearing changes, double vision, weakness, numbness, severe headaches, or repeated falls. Individuals who develop motion sensitivity following a concussion, vestibular disorder, migraine, or neurological condition may also benefit from a comprehensive evaluation.
Types of Motion Sickness We Assess
Sea Sickness
Develops during travel by boat or ship when continuous rocking movements challenge the brain's ability to process balance information.
Virtual Reality Sickness
It develops when immersive visual environments create sensory conflict between what the eyes and what the inner ears detect.
Air Sickness
Occurs during airplane travel, turbulence, takeoff, or landing. Changes in acceleration and visual input contribute to nausea and dizziness.
Car Sickness
Most common forms of motion sickness and frequently occurs when travelling as a passenger, particularly while reading or looking down at a phone.
Motion Sickness Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Although motion sickness is common in children, adults can develop it later in life, particularly after a concussion, vestibular disorder, migraine, or other neurological condition.
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Not always. Motion sickness results from a mismatch between sensory systems, but vestibular disorders affecting the inner ear can make individuals significantly more susceptible to motion sensitivity.
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Many people benefit from treatment that targets the underlying cause of their motion sensitivity. Vestibular rehabilitation and functional neurological care may help improve the brain's ability to process movement and reduce symptoms over time.
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Virtual reality creates a conflict between visual information and signals from the inner ears. Your eyes perceive movement while your body remains stationary, creating sensory mismatch that can trigger nausea and dizziness.
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If your symptoms are becoming more frequent, more severe, occurring without travel, or are accompanied by persistent dizziness, balance problems, hearing changes, or neurological symptoms, a comprehensive evaluation is recommended to determine the underlying cause.
Get Assessed for Motion Sickness
If you are experiencing Motion Sickness, identifying the underlying cause is the first step toward improving your symptoms.
Book a 30-minute Virtual or Phone Case Review consultation, we’ll listen to your symptoms, answer your questions, and help you determine the most appropriate next steps for care.
