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Vertigo and BPPV treatment in Edmonton
BPPV assessment and treatment in southeast Edmonton for brief spinning episodes, usually under a minute, triggered by rolling over, lying down or tipping the head back. We also check for the signs that mean vertigo needs emergency care instead.
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What is BPPV?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most frequently identified cause of vertigo. Tiny crystals that normally sit in one part of the inner ear come loose and drift into one of the balance canals, where they make the canal respond to gravity as though your head were still turning. The result is a short, intense burst of spinning — usually under a minute — triggered by a change in head position: rolling over in bed, lying down, sitting up, or tipping the head back.
What points to BPPV rather than something else
Constant spinning over days points toward vestibular neuritis; episodes with hearing loss and ringing point toward other inner ear conditions. Both are assessed differently.
- Spinning that lasts seconds to under a minute, not hours
- Clearly triggered by a change in head position rather than present constantly
- Rolling over in bed is a classic trigger, and often the first thing people mention
- No hearing loss, no ringing, no fullness in the ear
- Between episodes you may feel off-balance or foggy, but not spinning
When dizziness needs urgent care
A small proportion of dizziness comes from the brain rather than the inner ear, and that is time-critical. Seek emergency assessment for vertigo with any of these:
- New severe headache or neck pain alongside the dizziness
- Double vision, difficulty speaking or swallowing, or facial droop
- Weakness or numbness on one side
- Difficulty walking or severe unsteadiness that does not improve when you keep still
- Vertigo following a head or neck injury
Assessment and treatment
Diagnosis is made by moving your head into the positions that provoke it and watching your eyes. The pattern and direction of the eye movement identify which canal the crystals are in, and that determines which manoeuvre is used.
Treatment is a repositioning manoeuvre — a specific sequence of head and body positions that guides the crystals back out of the canal. It takes a few minutes, it commonly provokes the symptom briefly while it works, and many people are substantially settled after one. Most of the rest need a second or third.
Where dizziness or imbalance persists after the positional vertigo has resolved, or where the cause is something other than BPPV, a broader vestibular rehabilitation program is the next step.
Questions people ask
Can I just do the Epley manoeuvre from a video?
The manoeuvres are canal-specific and side-specific, and doing the wrong one can move crystals into a different canal and make things harder to treat. Getting the diagnosis right first is the part that matters; the manoeuvre itself is straightforward once it is.
Will it come back?
Recurrence is reasonably common — a meaningful share of people have another episode within a few years. It is treatable again when it does, and knowing what it is makes the second episode far less frightening than the first.
Why do I still feel unsteady afterwards?
A period of residual unsteadiness or fogginess after the spinning stops is normal and usually settles over days to a couple of weeks. If it does not, a vestibular rehabilitation program addresses that directly.
Is it related to my neck?
Sometimes neck problems and dizziness coexist, and neck stiffness can limit the positions used for testing. BPPV itself is an inner ear problem, but the neck is assessed too, particularly where the dizziness followed a collision.
Can vertigo be fixed in one visit?
BPPV often responds to a single repositioning manoeuvre, and many people feel a clear difference the same day. Some need a second or third session. Other causes of dizziness take longer, and part of the first visit is working out which type you have.
Is it safe to drive to the appointment?
If you are having active spinning episodes, it is safer to be driven. The treatment can also leave you briefly unsteady, so arranging a lift home for the first session is sensible. Vertex is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205 with parking on site.
Who treats vertigo at Vertex?
Radha Durai Babu has training in vestibular and concussion management and sees most of the dizziness and balance cases. Ask for vestibular assessment when you call (825) 525-2852 so you are booked with the right person.
Book a dizziness assessment
Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online. Bring a note of what triggers the episodes and how long they last — it shortens the assessment considerably.