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BPPV treatment in Worthing
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) causes short bursts of spinning when you move your head. It's one of the most common causes of vertigo, and it usually needs very few treatments. I treat it in your own home.
Lying down or rolling over
Spinning as you lie down, sit up or turn over in bed.
Looking up
Reaching for a high shelf or tipping your head back sets it off.
Short episodes
Each spell of vertigo usually lasts seconds, not hours.
Feeling sick or unsteady
Nausea, or feeling off balance for a while afterwards.
What it is
Loose crystals in the inner ear
Your inner ear contains tiny calcium crystals. In BPPV some of them come loose and drift into one of the fluid-filled canals that sense head movement. When you move your head in certain ways, they move too, and your brain gets a false message that you're spinning.
The spinning is usually intense but short, often under a minute. It can leave you feeling sick, unsteady or wary of moving.
How I treat it
Find the canal, then move the crystals
I use positional tests to find which canal is affected and on which side, because the treatment is different for each. Then I use a repositioning manoeuvre, such as the Epley, to guide the crystals back to where they belong.
BPPV usually needs hands-on treatment, but very few sessions.
Questions about BPPV
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It can, sometimes months or years later. If it does, the same kind of treatment is used again.
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It's best to have the affected canal and side confirmed first, because the manoeuvre differs for each and the wrong one won't help. Once that's known, I can show you whether a home version is suitable.
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BPPV can usually be resolved in one session, and it rarely needs more than a few.
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Sometimes. If dizziness comes on suddenly together with weakness or numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face, double vision or a sudden severe headache, call 999 straight away.
Talk it through first
The first phone call is free. Tell me what's been happening and I'll tell you whether vestibular rehab is likely to help, before you book anything.