|  | Conditions Treatments | Ears Hearing

Paroxysmal Vertigo Treatment

Paroxysmal vertigo, commonly known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV, is a form of vertigo that causes dizziness when move your head a certain way. The episodes of dizziness are normally brief and can cause you to be nauseous. BPPV is bothersome, but not a serious condition except for the risk of falling.

  1. Causes And Symptoms

    • The inner ear has three canals which contain calcium particles that help you maintain balance. These particles can become dislodged and clump together in one canal. When you move your head, the nerve cells incorrectly signal the brain that you have moved your head more than you actually did. This incorrect signal results in dizziness and BPPV. Symptoms of BPPV include dizziness, lightheadedness, loss of balance, a sense that the room is spinning, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting. BPPV normally lasts a minute or less and can sometimes disappear altogether for long periods and then recur.

    Diagnosis

    • Your doctor will perform a series of tests to determine the cause of your dizziness. He will see if certain head or eye movements cause dizziness and for how long, if you have the ability to control eye movements, and involuntary eye movements from side to side. Your doctor may also perform electronystagmography to detect abnormal eye movement. Your head is placed in different positions and involuntary eye movements are measured to see if an inner ear disease is causing the dizziness.

    Treatment

    • Your doctor will show you how to do a series of movements called the canalith repositioning procedure. This procedure involves slow and simple head positions to help move the calcium particles into an area where they won't cause the dizziness. Each head position is held for 30 seconds after abnormal eye movements have stopped. After the procedure, avoid lying flat. Elevate your head at night with pillows. This allows the particles time to be reabsorbed by the fluid of the inner ear. You will need to repeat the procedure a few times over the course of several days. Your doctor will teach you how to do the head positioning at home. When head repositioning does not work, surgery may be recommended. A bone plug is inserted to block the portion of your ear that's causing the dizziness. The plug prevents the inner ear canal from responding to the particle movements.

    Tips

    • When coping with BPPV, be aware of how the dizziness affects you. Sit immediately when you feel dizzy to prevent falling. Have good lighting when getting up at night, and move slowly when making head movements that can cause dizziness.

Ears Hearing - Related Articles