There seems to be a vertigo epidemic in my practice as of late.  I’ve had three people in the past month walk through our doors, looking for some relief from their symptoms of vertigo; far and above the four to five cases I typically treat annually.

Vertigo is defined as:

“the sensation of spinning while stationary.”

A specific type of dizziness, vertigo can be unrelenting and difficult to live with, as its sufferers will attest.  But it’s actually quite a common condition, and up to 10% of the population will experience vertigo at some point in their lives.

Can I help?

In short, YES.

A simple procedure, called the Epley maneuver, is very effective for vertigo when an inner ear component is involved.  You see, our inner ear contains the semi-circular canal, which is a key element in our system of balance.  Tiny calcium carbonate crystals are present within our semicircular canal, and their location allows our body to figure out our head position in space.  If the crystals, called otoconia, are disturbed and get into the wrong spot, our equilibrium gets thrown off, and the end result can be vertigo.

The Epley maneuver is painless, takes less than five minutes, and is very effective.  And while I don’t have a double-blind controlled research trial to present to you, I would estimate my success rate with this maneuver to be well upwards of 90%.

Oh, the things you learn on a Tuesday…..