The Simple Manoeuvre That Can Fix Your Dizziness: Why Millions Suffer Unaware
Millions experience debilitating dizziness, frequently enough without understanding the cause – and experts believe a frequently dismissed condition, Benign Paroxysmal Positional vertigo (BPPV), could be to blame. Despite a remarkably simple and effective treatment, a lack of awareness amongst medical professionals means many continue to suffer unnecessarily.
BPPV occurs when tiny calcium crystals within the inner ear become dislodged,disrupting balance signals to the brain.For Sarah, a 48-year-old marketing professional, the dizziness came on suddenly.”It felt like the room was spinning,” she recalls. “I couldn’t get out of bed without feeling sick.” After initial relief following a first Epley manoeuvre – a series of specific head movements designed to reposition the crystals – the dizziness returned. It worked partially,and then 48 hours after the second manoeuvre,it disappeared completely.
However, Sarah is considered one of the lucky ones. Dr. Ian Kaski highlights a significant problem: “There is a lack of awareness of BPPV itself, alongside a huge lack of awareness of the simple, effective treatment because it isn’t routinely taught in undergraduate medicine.”
This lack of knowledge leads to prolonged suffering. Dr. Kaski explains that BPPV can be “very scary and disabling – patients are frequently enough on sick leave, unable to function at work, at home or socially.”
Adele Buckley, 63, from Southwold, Suffolk, experienced this firsthand. She lived with unexplained extreme dizziness for a year before receiving a diagnosis. “I thought I had a brain tumour at first,” she confesses. The dizziness severely impacted her life. “I couldn’t walk down the stairs without holding on. And if I turned my head too fast,I got horribly dizzy…everything was moving around me,and my fear of falling was intense. I fell over once and had eight stitches to my eyebrow.Until you’ve experienced a period of acute dizziness and poor balance, it is hard to appreciate just how debilitating it can be. It impacts every aspect of your life.”
Adele consulted five specialists, underwent brain and body scans, and received several incorrect diagnoses, including an inner-ear infection, before a sixth specialist finally diagnosed BPPV almost a year after her symptoms began. The consultant suggested a possible cause: repeated forceful nose-blowing during a heavy cold may have dislodged the inner-ear crystals.
Following a single Epley manoeuvre, Adele’s dizziness vanished. “I was violently sick afterwards,” she says, “And then I felt fine.” The experience was so impactful that she now ”is careful about blowing my nose too hard.”
Dr. Kaski, while noting he hadn’t previously encountered nose-blowing as a BPPV trigger, emphasizes the potential for swift resolution. “More GPs need to understand that, of all the neurological problems there are, this [BPPV] is one you can fix, often, in just 45 seconds.” He argues that awareness should extend beyond ENT departments, stating, “Dizziness is often referred to ENT…but this [BPPV] is such a treatable problem that arguably all doctors should be aware of it.”
He also stresses the role of physiotherapists,as “the Epley manoeuvre is a form of physiotherapy and falls within their clinical skills.” While some patients require repeat treatments, Dr. Kaski advises these should be administered by a professional. “It can be difficult for patients to get themselves into the correct position due to the symptoms it generates,” he explains, adding that self-administration is “far less likely to be accomplished” and carries the risk of further complicating the condition by moving the crystals into another canal.
