Vertigo/BPPV

What is Vertigo/BPPV?

If you want to sound super fancy – this is the official medical diagnosis: Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo. Tell your friends. Basically it means vertigo that: happens occasionally, is related to your head position and doesn’t involve a worrying move towards death. Still can make you feel extremely rubbish. Essentially it involves the crystals in your inner ear moving out of position which causes dizziness, nausea and getting wobbly on your feet. Sounds a bit hippy-ish but yep – they are actually little crystals and yep – they can move.

Why does Vertigo/BPPV happen?

You can get it from having a knock to the head but you can also get it from flat-out NOTHING. This is called ‘idiopathic’ – which is medical jargon for a shoulder shrug/‘we don’t know’. It’s more likely if you’re a woman and more likely if you’re over 50.

What can you do about Vertigo/BPPV?
Vertigo/BPPV Physiotherapy in Newcastle.

1. Don’t panic. Don’t blow a head gasket worrying about something that won’t kill you. Make sure you exclude all the nasty stuff with your GP and then book a session with a physio who knows a bit about vestibular treatment. Stat.
2. Epley. As soon as possible, see a physio to do what’s called an Epley manoeuvre. This technique will work for most (not all) BPPV and if it’s not indicated there are other options for treatment.
3. Watch and see. Unfortunately, there is a risk of reoccurrence with this nasty little blighter. But be aware of when you might be starting to feel it again and book the physio in asap.

How long will Vertigo/BPPV take?

The good news is that most folks with BPPV improve within 1-3 treatments. There are the occasional stubborn vertigo sufferers who can take longer but most get better pretty quick smart.