Is Your World Spinning? Do You Want To Know How To Make It Stop?

 Is Your World Spinning? Do You Want To Know How To Make It Stop?

I cannot tell you how many times patients will casually mention something to me, fully expecting me to know NOTHING about it. And I have to tell you that they are often shocked to know that not only do I know “a little something” about it, but that I might be able to offer a relatively easy, non-invasive solution for them. One of the more common examples of this is vertigo. Most patients, and most people for that matter, do not realize that there are several causes of vertigo. Some of these causes can be diagnosed in our office with a very simple test, and some may require that you consult with your Primary Care Provider, or a specialist, to get additional testing done.

 The vertigo that often presents to our office is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. For simplicity sake, we will just call it BPPV. For years, BPPV was treated with a very simple treatment known as an Epley Maneuver. The Epley is very simple, and is easily administered in our office or in your home, and is completely non-invasive. When performed, the patient is put passively moved through several positions, which causes the “rocks in their head” to move again. The only potential “side-effect” is a TEMPORARY increase in the severity of the vertigo symptoms. This has been our treatment modality of choice for years in treating the symptoms of BPPV. However, thanks to Dr. Carol Foster we now have an even easier treatment option. She calls the movement that she uses the “Half Somersault Maneuver” because of the motions that it asks the patient to put themselves through. According to Dr. Foster, patients find this treatment to be as effective as the Epley, and she also reported that they experience fewer side effects.

Here is a video explaining more about BPPV and the Half Somersault Maneuver and how to do it.

Movement is my Medicine,