Dizzy, off balance or living with vertigo?
I'm Ellie Hartwell, a chartered physiotherapist who specialises in dizziness and balance. I find out what's causing your symptoms and treat it in your own home, across Brighton and Hove.
Ellie Hartwell Physio
What I treat
Most dizziness comes from the balance system in the inner ear and the parts of the brain it connects to. These are the problems I see most.
BPPV
Brief spinning when you lie down, roll over in bed or look up. Can usually be resolved in one session.
About BPPV
Vestibular migraine
Dizziness or vertigo linked to migraine, with or without the headache.
About vestibular migraine
PPPD
Dizziness or unsteadiness most days, worse in busy places, on screens or when you're up and about.
About PPPD
Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis
Dizziness and imbalance that hang on after an inner ear infection.
About labyrinthitis
Dizziness after concussion
Dizziness, unsteadiness or visual symptoms that continue after a head injury.
Talk it through
Ménière's disease
Help with balance and confidence between attacks, alongside your ENT team.
Talk it through
Vestibular rehabilitation
Retraining the balance system
Most dizziness starts in the balance system: your inner ear, the nerves to your brain, and the parts of the brain that make sense of them. When injury or illness disrupts it, you get vertigo, dizziness or imbalance.
Vestibular rehabilitation uses exercises and specific manoeuvres to help that system work better, or to help your brain adapt. Everything is matched to your symptoms and to what you want to get back to.
Home visits
Treatment at home
Getting to a clinic is hard when the room won't keep still. I come to you instead.
It also means your exercises can be built around your own stairs, your own kitchen and the walks you actually take.
How it works
From the first phone call to getting back to the things dizziness has stopped you doing.
Free
Step 1
A phone call
Ring me and tell me what's been happening. If vestibular rehab isn't the right thing for you, I'll say so.
Before we meet
Step 2
A short questionnaire
I'll send you a link to some questionnaires to fill in online. If you'd rather not use the internet, I can post paper copies.
Up to 90 minutes
Step 3
Your first home visit
I go through your answers with you, then examine you, including your balance and how your eyes move. We agree a plan based on what you want to get back to.
Between visits
Step 4
Exercises and follow-ups
Most people do a short exercise programme on their own, and I move the exercises on at each visit so you keep progressing.
Why see a vestibular physio
Specialist training
Trained in vestibular rehabilitation since 2013, and completed an advanced competency-based vestibular course in 2022.
NHS senior physiotherapist
Senior physiotherapist in an NHS falls and balance service in Brighton, where I've worked since 2010.
Teaching other physios
I run vestibular rehabilitation training for the other physiotherapists in my NHS team.
Registered and accountable
HCPC registered, and a member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the ACPIVR.
A second opinion
Some patients come to me for a second opinion when an earlier diagnosis didn't fit their symptoms.
Seen at home
No travelling while you're dizzy. Visits are free of travel charges across Brighton, Hove and Portslade.
18 five-star reviews on Google
What patients say
A few words from people I've treated, most of them left as Google reviews.
Ellie listened properly and explained exactly what was going on with my inner ear. She was calm, thorough and gentle, and I couldn't have asked for better care.
R. T.
Hove, Google review
I'd been told it was an ear infection and to wait it out. Ellie thought something else was going on, checked, and she was right. It finally made sense.
D. M.
Brighton, Google review
Ellie was so patient with our dad. After his fall he was frightened to go out, and with her help he now walks to the shops on his own again.
The P. family
Portslade, Google review
Common questions
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No. You can refer yourself by phone, or your GP or consultant can refer you.
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It depends on the cause, how long you've had it and whether anything else complicates recovery, such as problems with your vision or the feeling in your legs and feet. BPPV can usually be resolved in one session. PPPD usually takes at least six.
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Brighton, Hove and nearby. Visits in Brighton, Hove and Portslade have no travel charge, and further afield is charged at £1.50 a mile. The areas page has the detail.
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I'm not registered with the insurance companies, but some insurers will let you claim back what you've paid. It's worth checking with yours.
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Sometimes. If dizziness comes on suddenly together with weakness or numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face, double vision or a sudden severe headache, call 999 straight away.
Talk it through first
The first phone call is free. Tell me what's been happening and I'll tell you whether vestibular rehab is likely to help, before you book anything.