Vertigo is a balance disorder that can disrupt a person’s life. All of a sudden, you feel like the world is spinning and you can’t stop the sensation, as it causes dizziness and nausea which can limit your activities. It may be especially prevalent when getting in or out of bed or tilting your head up and down. Depending on the cause of the vertigo, some simple exercises may be able to provide relief of these debilitating symptoms. The most common type of acute vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which occurs when calcium crystals of the inner ear become loose.
Fortunately, BPPV is rarely serious, except for the fact that it increases the chance of falling. It is relatively easy to treat, with a little guidance from a physician, and most patients experience symptom relief within days.
The Epley Maneuver for Vertigo Symptom Relief
If you are diagnosed with BPPV, you can do several different “maneuvers,” which can encourage the loose crystals in your inner ear to settle. The most common maneuver to achieve BPPV relief is the Epley Maneuver, which is effective in treating 90% of cases.
The Epley Maneuver involves sequential head movements through 4 positions while lying on your back. A physician or physical therapist can train you in-office on how to do the Epley Maneuver, and then you can repeat the maneuver by yourself at home. If you have to drive to get to your physical therapist’s office, you may want to reconsider and have a friend drive, you instead, because some patients complain that the maneuver makes their dizziness worse before it improves. You will be asked to hold your head in each position for 30 seconds after any of your dizzy symptoms or abnormal eye movements stop.
If the Epley Maneuver proves unsuccessful, ask your doctor about more aggressive treatments to fix your vertigo, which may include surgical therapies.
To learn more about how we can help you with vertigo, please call ProFysio today at (732) 812-5200.