Vertigo is a type of dizziness that lasts for a short period of time - it could be minutes, hours, or days. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common types of vertigo. It can cause a feeling of dizziness, ringing in the ears, feeling of sickness and loss of balance. Commonly it’s described as feeling like the room is spinning or the inside of your head is spinning.
Symptoms can occur with:
Lying down/ Getting up
Standing up/Sitting down
Tilting your head up or down
Rolling over
Causes
BPPV is due to dysfunction of your inner ear.
Small crystals that detect movement become dislodged and create the sensation of movement
The gel matrix the crystals sit in can become dehydrated with age and increase your risk of BPPV
Treatment
Vertigo can be bothersome and disruptive but it's rarely serious except when it increases riks of falling from feeling dizzy.
You can receive effective treatment for BPPV during a PT visit office visit.
Your physical therapist will move you through a series of movements that can decrease and resolve your symptoms
The treatment is effective at reducing onset and intensity of dizziness and is typically resolved in just a few treatments based on the extent of the dysfunction.
