All About Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is among the common causes of vertigo. It is the sudden sensation of the spinning of your head which occurs with the change of position of your head. It is a disorder of the inner ear. It occurs when calcium carbonate crystals accumulate in large numbers in any one of the ear canals and stimulate abnormal fluid movement in the inner ear. This sends false signals of head movement to the brain. This can also crop up post head injury. Rolling over the bed or quick head movements like when sitting up in bed can also trigger this condition. 

The common symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are as follows:

1. Vomiting and nausea. 
2. Vertigo blurred vision
3. Intense dizziness 
4. Loss of balance 

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo may be treated in the following manner:

1. Medication to get relief from the spinning of your head. 
2. Epley's Maneuver involves transportation of the calcium particles to a different part of the ear which will no longer cause any problems. 
3. Brandt-Daroff exercises. 
4. Sometimes watchful waiting can help a person to recover without having to undergo any other treatment but it is a long process and often involves risk factors. 
5. Surgery: This option is used rarely when other treatments fail. 

A very important thing to remember is that vertigo can lead to falls and driving should be avoided. The patient will need support during an episode to avoid injuries. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ENT specialist.