Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV is one of the most common vestibular disorders affecting up to 50% of the population at some time in their lives.
What is it?
BPPV is a vestibular condition when tiny crystals in your inner ear break loose and fall into the wrong part of the ear canal. These dislodged crystals over-stimulate the nerves that detect head movement. The brain then receives these messages and interprets the information as the head is spinning even though there has only been a slight head movement. This causes vertigo.
Each part of the BPPV helps describe a key component of the condition:
Benign - Referring to not serious or dangerous Paroxysmal - Means onset is sudden, and only lasts for a short time.
Positional - Your symptoms are triggered by certain ways you move your head
Vertigo - Dizziness, whirling and feeling off-balance
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of BPPV can include:
nausea
feeling like the room is spinning
vomiting
feeling lightheaded
unsteady on your feet
When to seek help
You should seek assistance from your physiotherapist if you have been feeling the above symptoms for over 3 days. Again, BPPV is not a severe or chronic condition and it can usually be treated in 1 or 2 sessions.
Our physiotherapists are trained to diagnose and treat various vestibular conditions such as BPPV. If you would like to know more contact us here!
We are located on the corner of Shop 5, 66 Slobodian Avenue, Eight Mile Plains.
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