SUDDENLY THE ROOM IS MOVING,
and you instinctively grab on to the closest thing you can find to
stabilize yourself. The suddenness of this dizziness is frightening and
disorienting. Within a few minutes you're starting to feel better, but
you wonder if you are having a stroke!
If you're over 50, what you just experienced was more than likely a
fairly common affliction known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
(BPPV.) It can be triggered by looking down at something, getting up
suddenly from a reclining position or any head movement that disturbs
little crystals that reside in specialized organs within the inner ear.
These tiny crystals work in tandem with your vision and tactile sense to
inform your brain just how you're oriented - upright, reclined or
somewhere in between. When these crystals get dislodged and end up where
they're not supposed to be, your brain gets conflicting messages and
you experience vertigo - a feeling that the room (or the inside of your
head) is spinning!
I first experienced this about 20 years ago. I was looking down at a cat
on the exam table in the vet's office, when suddenly the room tipped to
the side! Fortunately the sensation only lasted a couple seconds - it
came and went before I knew what hit me, but the experience really
discombobulated me!
Since then I've probably had 8 or so episodes, and they usually pass
within a few minutes. Occasionally I'll have some residual balance
issues, but any lingering symptoms usually resolve within a day or so.
I figured since I'm a musician and am exposed higher levels of sound
than most people that this occasional vertigo was just a type of
"vocational hazard." My ears get assaulted for 2 to 4 hours a day from
performing or practicing - so I figured those little crystals are always
bouncing around inside my inner ear.
But recently I've come to the realization that this bothersome malady is a bit more common than I'd ever suspected.
Surprisingly within the last two weeks, I've talked to (or corresponded
with) 7 different people whom I know well who've recently had bouts with
BPPV. Back when I first experienced this unexpected vertigo, I'd never
even heard of BPPV. Now it seems every other person I talk to has had it
at one time or other.
A couple acquaintances have even told me they go to their doctor or
chiropractor to receive the Epley maneuver for BPPV. In fact I see on
YouTube that there's a new variation of the Epley maneuver called Half
Somersault Canalith Repositioning or simply Half Somersault Maneuver
which a person can perform on themselves!
Fortunately my bouts with this have always spontaneously resolved and I
haven't had to resort to any type of repositioning maneuver, but it's
good to know there's a self-help technique out there. However I
seriously doubt if I'd have the presence of mind to go to YouTube and
follow the steps while I was in the throes of severe vertigo!
It's not my intention to turn this weekly email into the Mayo
Newsletter, but I thought I'd write a few sentences about this
disconcerting affliction in case there are any of you out there who've
experienced an occasional, isolated bout with sudden dizziness. It might
put your mind at ease to know that vertigo doesn't always signal that
there's something seriously amiss.
Nevertheless if you have an unrelenting dizziness accompanied by other
symptoms, a trip to the emergency room may be advisable as there are
other possible conditions that can cause vertigo. |
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