BPPV or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

BPPV or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder of intense, brief, variable dizzy or vertigo that is often brought on by head turning. It can seemingly come out of the blue and can be very impairing. The cause is not fully understood, however it is thought to be due to tiny particles breaking loss or causing blockages in the inner ear, and this in turn stimulates the nerves wrongly, telling the brain wrong messages.

BPPV can occur in association with head injury, age, viral illness or occur for no apparent reason. It is often frustrating for patients both in achieving a diagnosis and also obtaining cure. BPPV should be both a diagnosis of exclusion once other, often more concerning disease are ruled out, and also certain signs can be detected often by your doctor.

How is it treated? There are simply exercises that your doctor or physiotherapist can take you though, and as always it may require some time and effort to resolve. It is important to seek advice on the safety of certain motion / vertigo medications as these may have side effects, or may not be helpful. Online information can be found at www.vestibular.org