Vertigo

Vertigo is a relatively common complaint, and when it starts suddenly can be quite distressing. There are many causes of vertigo, with one particular type being commonly treated by physiotherapists known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.

BPPV will typically produce brief periods of feelings of dizziness or spinning, which can range from mild to severe, and which are brought on by moving your head into certain positions. This occurs most commonly with lying down, rolling in bed, getting out of bed or looking up or down. Sufferers may also experience a feeling of their eyes twitching, which is known as nystagmus, and is easily observed by another person.

BPPV is caused by some small crystals which have moved into the wrong position in the balance organ in your inner ear. As you change position, these cause your inner ear to send the wrong message back to your brain about your current position. This causes a feeling of vertigo, which in the worst cases can cause nausea and vomiting and make people feel unsafe moving between positions, such as getting out of bed.

Our role as physiotherapists is to clear these crystals via one of several different positioning manoeuvres. Our therapists are trained to identify the particular type of BPPV, which ear and particularly, which part of the inner is affected. Once we have done this, we can select the best treatment approach to help you and your problem. These treatment manoeuvres are painless, but do involve certain movements or positions which will necessitateprovoking the symptoms to fix the problem.

If you or someone you know is suffering from symptoms like this, contact us on 92952381.