Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

By Dalton Gilligan, PT, DPT

 

What is BPPV?

 

Benign Paroxsysmal Positional Vertigo (also known as BPPV), is the most common cause of dizziness.  People with this condition experience dizziness that lasts for a short period of time (a few seconds to a minute) following certain movements such as rolling over in bed.  It can easily be confused with other serious conditions including stroke, therefore if you notice symptoms of severe dizziness you should seek medical attention.      

 

BPPV is caused by a disruption in your inner ear.  There are structures called semi-circular canals that send signals to your brain about balance and head position.  Every time you move your head, semi-circular canals are being activated.  Your inner-ear also has tiny crystals called otoconia.  These crystals shift when you move, sending information to your brain about acceleration and deceleration (Next time you are on a roller-coaster and feel your stomach drop, think of these rocks). 

 

BPPV occurs when one of these crystals gets loose and falls into one of the semi-circular canals.  This causes a confusing signal to be sent to your brain every time you roll over, causing you to experience rotational dizziness.  These crystals can fall for a variety of reasons, including degeneration or trauma.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is vertigo?

 

Dealing with dizziness can be extremely stressful and confusing.  It is very common for an individual to be admitted to the hospital and undergo several tests that rule out life threatening conditions.  

 

Vertigo is a symptom, not a pathology.  It is the word used to describe rotational dizziness.

 

Several conditions can cause this symptom including BPPV described above.  There are other pathologies that can cause vertigo as well, many which can be addressed with physical therapy intervention.    

 

My physician diagnosed me with vertigo, what should I do?

 

You should make an appointment with a physical therapist who has experience treating BPPV and vestibular disorders.  Medication will not fix your problem.  It will only hide symptoms and provide temporary relief at best. A skilled physical therapist will be able to identify this condition and successfully treat it in one to two sessions.  On rare occurrences, treatment may be longer for complex cases.