Dizziness (BPPV)
Dizziness is a common reason why people visit their doctors. In general terms, there are two types of dizziness sensations: a faint lightheadedness feeling and a spinning sensation. This faint lightheadedness feeling has many causes and is often related to the cardiovascular system. In most cases this isn’t serious however if you experience this type of dizziness on a regular basis, it is advised to get yourself checked by a medical doctor. The spinning type of dizziness is typically when you get the false sensation that the entire room is spinning. This spinning phenomenon is referred to as vertigo is the primary symptom of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). If this is what you have, this is usually great news as the chance of full recovery is very high and often very quick.
In this video BPPV is explained and the Epley maneuver is shown to treat it. It is not advised to perform this by yourself as it can make the problem worse if the correct canal is not identified.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
BPPV is caused by small crystals within the canals of the inner ear that become dislodged and randomly stimulate one of the canals causing a spinning sensation. This spinning sensation can be accompanied with nausea and is often experienced with certain head positions/ movements. People often report symptoms being worse when the lift their head off the pillow first thing in the morning or when looking up or down. The vertigo will typically last less than 1 minute and will come and go in many episodes.
There are 3 canals in which these crystals can form there are many other conditions that can look like BPPV such as Meniere’s Disease, Labyrinthitis & Vestibular Neuritis that must be ruled out before BPPV can be treated correctly.. The good news this isn’t hard to do and is usually done by the history as well as testing. The gold standard test for BPPV is the Dix-Hallpike test.
The Dix-Hallpike test is done by putting the head in a certain position and very quickly taking the person from sitting to lying on their back. If symptoms are reproduced and a certain eye movement is accompanied with this disease, this is a strong indicator that you have BPPV. So once you know you have BPPV, what can be done?
The gold standard treatment that is now very well recognised is the Epley Maneuver.
How Can Chiropractic Help With Dizziness Such As BPPV?
Some chiropractors (such as Dr Hulme) are trained to perform the Epley maneuver which is the gold standard treatment for BPPV. Not all dizziness however is BPPV and a thorough assessment is vital to determine the best treatment. Chiropractors are trained to assess for the cause of dizziness by carrying out a full spinal analysis and neurological examination. Once the cause has been found, there are a lot of treatment options a Chiropractor can offer to help you.
If you are suffering with dizziness and it’s not resolving by itself, please do get in contact and we’ll be happy to help.