Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo. BPPV causes episodes of mild to intense dizziness. This dizziness is often described as if your surroundings are moving, a head spinning sensation, or loss of balance sensation. This sensation can accompanied by nausea and occasionally vomiting.
BPPV is generally triggered by positional changes in your head. For example, BPPV tends to occur when you lie down, when you lean back or forwards, or when you turn over or sit up in bed. The signs and symptoms of BPPV can come and go, with symptoms commonly lasting minutes at a time.
Often, there’s no known cause for BPPV. When the cause is unknown this is called idiopathic BPPV. When a cause can be determined, BPPV can be associated with head trauma, damage to your inner ear or migraines.
BPPV can be very uncomfortable, thus seeing a specialist like us at the Manhattan Center for Headache and Neurology can get you the proper treatments to manage your symptoms. It also important to rule out that your dizziness isn’t a sign of a more serious problem.
Caroline Pruski, NP