Vertigo / BPPV
Vertigo is a spinning feeling, and the most common cause is BPPV, when tiny crystals in the inner ear drift out of place. We treat BPPV with specific repositioning maneuvers, which relieve symptoms quickly and safely for many people. Spine & Rehab Specialists sees patients with vertigo at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.
Vertigo is not the same as feeling dizzy
Dizziness is a broad word. It covers lightheadedness, feeling off balance and the sense that you might faint. Vertigo is more specific: you or the room feels like it is spinning, even though everything is still. That difference matters because the causes and the treatments differ.
If your main problem is the room spinning, your inner ear is a likely cause, and vertigo physical therapy can often help.
What BPPV is, in plain language
BPPV stands for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The name says what it is.
Ear crystals
Your inner ear holds tiny calcium crystals. When ear crystals slip into one of the fluid-filled canals, they send false movement signals to your brain.
Positional vertigo
The spinning comes in short, intense bursts when your head changes position, then settles.
Benign
It is not a sign of a dangerous condition in the inner ear itself, but it can make you unsteady and afraid to move.
Typical triggers
Many people with BPPV describe the same few moments.
- Feeling dizzy when I roll over in bed
- Feeling dizzy when I lie down
- Looking up at a shelf
- Bending over and standing up
- Turning your head quickly
How a physical therapist finds out if it is BPPV, and how we treat it
Your therapist asks about your triggers and then puts your head in specific positions while watching your eyes. The test most therapists use for this is called the Dix-Hallpike test. If it shows BPPV, we use a canalith repositioning maneuver to guide the crystals back to where they belong. The best known version is the Epley maneuver.
We use these repositioning maneuvers to relieve symptoms quickly and safely. Your therapist will tell you what to do and avoid afterward, and we re-check you at your next visit.
When it is not BPPV
Not all spinning comes from crystals. Vertigo that continues without a clear trigger, dizziness that is mostly unsteadiness, or symptoms after a head injury may point to another problem of the inner ear or brain. In that case you need the broader care described on vestibular rehab for dizziness and balance. That care retrains your brain and inner ear with exercise. After a head injury, see concussion care.
Go to the emergency room, do not wait for therapy
Vertigo with any of these signs may be a stroke or another urgent problem:
- Slurred speech
- A drooping face
- Weakness in an arm or leg
- Double vision
- A sudden, severe headache
Related care
Vertigo treatment in El Paso, Texas
If the room spins when you lie down or turn your head, call our Edgemere or Physicians clinic. Call our Edgemere or Physicians clinic, or request an appointment. In many cases you do not need a referral in Texas, and we can help verify your insurance requirements before your first visit.
We see patients at our Edgemere and Physicians clinics in El Paso, Texas.