Stop the Head-Spin Cycle - Benign Paroxysmal Positioning Vertigo

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 31 Jan 2005 - 6:00 PDT


Imagine starting to climb out of bed, and suddenly the room is spinning. You could be experiencing the most common form of vertigo called benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV).

The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers an overview of this condition. While it's not harmful, it can be very troubling.

BPPV can be triggered by movements as simple as rolling over in bed or tipping your head back to look up. In addition to dizziness, the signs and symptoms can include loss of balance, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms can come and go, with some episodes lasting only a few seconds. However, BPPV can be present for a few days or weeks, recurring as brief episodes of movement-induced vertigo.

BPPV can occur after a head trauma. But because it becomes more common as people grow older, BPPV is often thought to be a natural result of aging. It occurs when tiny particles of calcium carbonate crystals, which help maintain balance, break loose inside your inner ear and fall into the wrong part of your inner ear canal.

If your head is spinning after movement, check with your doctor. A simple treatment has been shown to have a success rate as high as 90 percent. It consists of making a series of simple head movements to move loose particles in your ear to a place where they won't cause dizziness and where they can be reabsorbed into inner ear fluids.

This is a highlight from the February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource attribution is required. Also, you may reprint up to four articles annually without cost. More frequent reprinting is allowed for a fee. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Call toll free for subscription information, 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource is published monthly to help women enjoy healthier, more productive lives. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. To subscribe, please call 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.

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