Meredith Pfohl 
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most common form of dizziness affecting adults. It often comes on suddenly, and doesn’t always have an obvious inciting incident. It can be caused by trauma to the inner ear (such as a hit to the side of the head), associated with a cold or other upper respiratory tract infection, or come on for no particular reason at all!
BPPV occurs when otoconia (little crystal like structures within the inner ear) move out of their usual home (the utricle) and into the semi-circular canals. The semi-circular canals give our brain information about where our head is in space, so having the otoconia floating around in them gives our brain false information which doesn’t match up with what our eyes and our neck are telling the brain, resulting in dizziness and often nausea. The symptoms of dizziness are provoked when you are moving your head through space, such as when you are rolling in bed, getting up from lying, or picking something up from the floor.
Treatment for BPPV involves a thorough assessment to determine which canal or canals have the otoconia floating in them. There may be just one canal affected on one side, or multiple canals affected on both the left and right. Once the affected canal has been identified, we use a series of movements to help the otoconia move back into the utricle where they should be.
If you are experiencing sudden onset dizziness, or having dizziness when moving your head, don’t despair, help is at hand. Book in with our experienced physiotherapists for assessment and treatment.
