Vertigo (BPPV)
I once had the privilege of watching a physical therapist treat vertigo (fancy name: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo). If you’re like me and you’re hearing this for the first time, you’re thinking “Whaaat?! That’s a thing that can be treated with physical therapy?!” Here’s a brief, simplified breakdown of what this is:
Anatomy Recess!
Image courtesy of Creative Commons
Above, you will find a diagram of the inner ear. Part of it is made up of tubes going in multiple, yet specific, directions called semicircular ducts. Sometimes, people also call them semicircular canals. The next part is going to sound made up but that’s one of the things that makes science so interesting and wonderful. There are crystals (not pictured), called otoliths or otoconia, living in your ear that help you keep your balance. They’re supposed to hang out in two sac-like parts of the inner ear known as the saccule and utricle. Sometimes, these crystals go on an adventure through the ducts then proceed to get lost or stuck, making you feel dizzy.
Back In Session
Some physical therapists, usually ones who specialize in neurology or vestibular treatment, are trained to be able to tell which semicircular duct your crystals are stuck in by (safely!) making you dizzy then looking very closely at how your eyes move. Again, this sounds made up but I promise it’s real. The therapist can then move your head around to guide the crystals back to where they belong. With proper treatment, most patients feel relief right away.
For a more in-depth look at this condition and treatment, please check out:
Have you had personal experience with this condition or do you have additional questions? If so, please send an email in my direction at geekypt@gmail.com! Let’s make the most of this opportunity to learn from each other.
