Physiotherapy: Diagnosis and Specific treatment for BPPV

Good day my interested readers, Now for those of you who stayed tuned and are expecting a follow-up on my previous post on BPPV as regards diagnosis and treatment, here you have it

If you’ve been diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), you’re likely wondering what treatment options are available. Physiotherapy is one option that you should very much consider.

Physiotherapists are adequately well-trained professionals, we use evidence-based and proven practical techniques to help people improve pain, boost function, and enhance overall health and well-being. In the case of BPPV, a physiotherapist like myself can design a customized treatment plan to eliminate or reduce symptoms.

Now how can physiotherapy help diagnose BPPV?

Let move on 👇👇

Diagnosing Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

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Now you see, regarding your health, a correct diagnosis is paramount to finding the right course of treatment. Such the case for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which is a common cause of frequent ad unexplainable dizziness. Diagnosing BPPV can be tricky, so it’s important to be correctly evaluated by a healthcare professional.

Once diagnosis is made and BPPV is confirmed, your physiotherapist proceeds to provide an individualized treatment plan or intervention that is tailored to meet your specific needs. During your initial examination or assessment, they will perform series of tests, this you see is just to check the integrity of your balance, assess the severity of your symptoms, and diagnose the underlying cause of the dizziness.

Your physiotherapist may also perform diagnostic maneuvers—specific head and body positions that are used to help make a definitive diagnosis of BPPV and establish an effective treatment plan. If successful in reproducing symptoms related to BPPV, this diagnosis can be confirmed and tailored treatments can begin. Your physiotherapist may use techniques such as vestibular rehabilitation exercises, habituation exercises, or gaze stabilization exercises to help reduce symptoms associated with BPPV.

The Epley Maneuver: A Treatment for BPPV

The Epley maneuver is one of the most commonly used treatments for benign paroxsymal positional vertigo (BPPV). Although there isn't one single pinpointable cause for this condition, it's usually due to a displacement of calcium crystals in the inner ear. The Epley maneuver is a repositioning technique that helps to realign these crystals back into place.

A physiotherapist will typically start by asking you to lie-down on the bed. They will then move your head and body into various positions in order to help redirect the particles that have become displaced. These movements may feel strange, but they're helping to redirect the particles back into place so they can be flushed out from your ear by your own body's natural defense mechanisms.

However, it's important to note that while the Epley maneuver provides relief from BPPV in many cases, it may not completely resolve the issue if underlying conditions are present. For example, if or let's say you have a neuromuscular disorder that is the culprit and causing impaired balance or dizziness, other treatments may need to be used in addition to or instead of the Epley maneuver.

Other Canalith Repositioning Procedures for BPPV

When it comes to managing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), physiotherapists can do more than the Epley Maneuver. There are a few other canalith repositioning procedures that use different head and body positions to help dislodge debris from your inner ear canals.

Here are some alright:

The Semont-Maneuver: It is somewhat similar to the Epley-Maneuver, except that in this instance, instead of turning your head to the opposite side, you are being turned to the same side as the affected ear.

The Foster Maneuver: This maneuver is used for very specific types of BPPV, where a patient's chin is positioned in one direction and then the head turned in the opposite direction.

The Liberatory Maneuver: This involves quickly lying down on each side for 10 seconds, with abrupt turns between sides. Similar variations include alternating between movement up and down while sitting or lying down instead of turning your head from side-to-side.

These maneuvers will help reposition debris into areas where it can’t cause any symptoms, allowing you to enjoy symptom reduction immediately after treatment — so it’s definitely worth trying.

So inconclusively, in our subsequently on BPPV we would be looking at some exercises that help with BPPV, some lifestyle changes and vestibular management technique that helps with BPPV, so again stay tuned and watch out !!!

References

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/ears-nose-and-throat/vertigo

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/884261-overview

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11858-benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-bppv

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-bppv

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/b/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470308/