What is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)?
As physiotherapists, we treat many types of pain including sore backs or busted knees. But it doesn’t stop there. We can help with symptoms of dizziness and vertigo.
What causes you to feel dizzy?
The most common cause of vertigo is a condition called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). This is caused generally by a build-up of calcium carbonate within the ear canal, which can break free and cause abnormal stimulation of the sensory hair cells that control our balance and confuses the vestibular system. This leads our brain into a vertigo episode.
Symptoms and Triggers:
Feeling symptoms of the world spinning around you. These can lead to nausea, vomiting, headaches or blurred vision. Some triggers that could mean you are experiencing BPPV include feeling like your head is spinning when:
- Standing up and down, out of bed, off the lounge
- Rolling over
- Bending down
- Climbing ladders
- Washing your hair in the shower
Who does BPPV affect?
Dizziness and vertigo are not subjected to a certain age or gender. Although it is a more common complaint in the elderly this can be problematic to any person. Untreated patients lead to additional problems such as restriction on neck movement, stiff necks and sore backs. Some people suffer from this for months or years without recognising with support it can potentially be resolved in just one treatment session with an experienced physiotherapist (Simpson, 2020).
Treatment:
Treatment of BPPV involves a physiotherapist taking you through a series of rotational movements to determine which canal in the ear is affected. Once this is determined the most efficient treatment manoeuvre can be performed to loosen the particles out of the ear canal.
Talk to our physiotherapist at Back to Health Physiotherapy in Newport to determine how we can best help you.
You can book online at our website or call us on 9997 4970 and our team will direct you.
Reference:
Adapted from: Introductory Vestibular Rehabilitation Course, Vanessa Simpson, 2020
