HINTS+ Exam Demystified: Differentiating Central vs. Peripheral Causes of Acute Dizziness
HINTS+ Exam Demystified: Differentiating Central vs. Peripheral Causes of Acute Dizziness
1 hour
The instructors
Overview
Have you ever assessed a patient with acute, continuous dizziness and questioned whether you’re seeing a peripheral vestibular disorder—or something more serious, such as a posterior circulation stroke?
Distinguishing between central and peripheral causes in Acute Vestibular Syndrome (AVS) can be challenging. Symptoms often overlap, timelines are unclear, and early imaging is not always definitive. Making a confident clinical decision at the bedside requires more than pattern recognition alone.
Enter the HINTS+ exam—a powerful, evidence-informed cluster of bedside tests designed to help clinicians differentiate central causes of dizziness (including stroke) from peripheral vestibular dysfunction, such as vestibular neuritis.
Join Kregg Ochitwa for a live online webinar that demystifies the HINTS+ exam and walks you through how to perform, interpret, and apply it in real-world clinical practice. This session will break down each component of the exam, clarify when it should—and should not—be used, and show how it strengthens clinical reasoning in high-stakes presentations of vertigo and dizziness.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is this peripheral—or should I be worried about stroke?” this webinar will give you practical tools to answer that question with greater confidence.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
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Describe the components of the HINTS+ exam and its role in evaluating acute dizziness
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Perform each step of the exam safely and effectively
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Interpret findings suggestive of peripheral vestibular dysfunction versus central pathology
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Recognize the appropriate clinical indications and limitations of the HINTS+ exam
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Integrate the HINTS+ exam into an acute vestibular assessment workflow with improved confidence and clinical accuracy
Why This Matters
While many vestibular assessments focus on positional vertigo and peripheral dysfunction, the HINTS+ exam provides clinicians with a rapid, bedside screening tool for central causes of dizziness, including stroke. When used appropriately in patients with Acute Vestibular Syndrome, it has been shown to outperform early MRI in identifying posterior circulation strokes.
This webinar goes beyond theory to offer clinically relevant, practical guidance you can apply immediately—particularly in urgent or ambiguous cases where referral decisions may have significant medical consequences.
Who Should Attend
This webinar is designed for:
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Physiotherapists / Physical Therapists
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Other allied health professionals involved in the assessment and management of dizziness and balance disorders
If you’ve ever felt uncertain differentiating central versus peripheral causes of vertigo—or unsure how to apply advanced bedside examination tools in real time—this session is for you.
Registration & What’s Included
Registration includes:
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Access to the live webinar
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Live Q&A—bring your clinical questions
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Access to the recording
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Downloadable presentation slides
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Certificate of completion
This webinar is free for Embodia Members. The registration fee for non-members is $20.
This session is part of the Let’s Talk Vestibular webinar series. You may register for individual sessions or enroll in the full series.
Recording and Replays
This webinar will be recorded and made available on Embodia as a course at no additional cost for registered attendees. If you’re unable to attend live, you’ll receive access to the recording and any shared resources shortly after the session.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for U.S. PTs and PTAs
This webinar provides 1 CEU for eligible participants.
Embodia is an approved provider of continuing education for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants in multiple jurisdictions, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and California (through Redefine Health Education).
Courses approved by these state boards are likely accepted for licensure credit in the following jurisdictions, based on individual state regulations:
AL | AK | AR | CO | CT | DE | GA | HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | ME | MA | MI | MO | MT | NE | NH | NC | ND | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | UT | VT | VA | VI | WA | WI | WY
Clinicians are encouraged to confirm acceptance with their state licensing board.
The instructors
BScPT, CWCE, CredMDT
Kregg has been a registered physical therapist since 1995. Over the years his caseload has shifted from solely orthopedic to a mix of orthopedic and vestibular. With this background he has also established a reputation for treating concussion, having treated athletes in the NFL, CFL, college ranks, WHL, high school athletes, and the weekend warrior.
In 1998, he took his first course in the field of vestibular rehabilitation. In 2008, he completed all of the requirements of the Vestibular Rehabilitation: a competency based course at Emory University, Atlanta Georgia. Since then he has continued to take ongoing courses throughout North America in regards to orthopedics, traumatic brain injury, and vestibular therapy. He has also been asked to teach weekend courses and present at various conferences throughout North America and Europe.
In 2010, Kregg opened North 49 Physical Therapy in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The clinic has since grown from a staff of one to seven physical therapists, where over half of the caseload consists of patients with dizziness and/or balance issues.