Vertigo (Dizziness and Balance) Disorder

Have you ever had that unbalanced feeling? You just can’t seem to get the dizziness to go away.

The most common form of Vertigo is BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo).  57% of the people who has BPPV there is no cause for it. But vertigo happens due to the displacement or calcium carbonate crystal in the inner ear mechanically move to anterior, middle and posterior chamber (canal), and causing dizziness.

Primary Symptoms:

Dizziness (usually hard movements brings the symptoms)

Headache

Nausea/Vomiting

Secondary Symptoms: Loss of balance

Physician in ER usually order CT or MRI brain to rule out any red flags like stroke or brain Tumour. If these test are negative, the health care personnel will use vertigo test like diagnosis dix-Hallpike, supine roll etc.

In the testing position, if the client subjectively feels Dizziness and the clinician objectively sees the dizziness in the form of torsional Nystagmus and that likely disappears within a minute the Diagnosis of  BPPV is confirmed

When it comes to the management of BPPV it is a mechanical problem and need a mechanical treatment that’s why Physical therapy is the first line of treatment

It takes 2-4 treatment sessions to manage primary symptoms but off balance takes 8-12 weeks to fully recover but you don’t have to see a physical therapist that long but you will need to see a neuro for that long. You will send home with vestibular exercises to improve your balance at the end of your last visit.