Vertigo Treatment
Millions of people across the world suffer from vertigo, an extremely uncomfortable symptom of what usually is BPPV or Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. What many people do not know is that physical therapy is the number 1 treatment for BPPV symptoms!
What is BPPV? Crystals within the inner ear can migrate from their normal location and become lodged in a more sensitive area resulting in dizziness. These are normally located in the utricle and saccule in the inner ear. These structures allow us to feel where we are in space. They can become dislodged into the semicircular canals and cause BPPV.
Key Features of BPPV:
- Symptoms increase with changes of head movement and position changes, most commonly rolling over in bed, bending over, or looking up
- Common to have occurrences at the hairdresser or dentist
- Vertigo occurs within 1-30 seconds and resolves within 60 seconds when in the provoking position
- Nystagmus (repetitive, uncontrolled eye movements) occurs
- Nausea can occur
Causes:
- Vertigo can occur randomly
- Trauma (car accident, head injury)
- Occurs in people with certain vestibular pathologies
How can PT help?
All therapists at Carolina Physical Therapy are certified in Vestibular Rehabilitation, which is the treatment program we have for BPPV patients. We can often treat this symptom with 2-3 sessions in any of our clinics across the state and have you back to full functionality.
Epley Maneuvers are performed by a therapist to relocate the crystals, thereby alleviating the dizziness. In addition, many patients have developed secondary symptoms associated with reduced activity levels. Secondary symptoms include decreased strength, loss of range of motion, increased tension particularly in the cervical/shoulder regions, leading to muscle fatigue and headaches. Physical therapists utilize exercise and balance training to restore normal function.
Get help today without a doctor’s referral for up to 30 days! Call any of our 10 locations today for more information.
