What Is BPPV? The Most Common Cause of Vertigo Explained by an ENT| Houston ENT Explains

BPPV or benign, paroxysmal positional vertigo happens whenever small crystals from within your ear get trapped within the vestibular system. So your vestibular system or your inner ear is made up of a series of fluid filled donuts, and those donuts rotate every time your, her and your head from side to side or this direction.

 

Or this direction, and whenever those donuts rotate, the fluid sloshes around and tells your brain, Hey, I'm rotating or moving. If crystals get dislodged into those donuts, every time you rotate, the crystals continue to spin and spin and spin and spin, making you feel like you're spinning even if you're not.

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So it makes you feel like you have a rotational vertigo or dizziness every time you turn over, especially when you turn over in bed and it lasts for just a few seconds, uh, or at least less than a minute because every time you turn, the crystals will keep going and going and going, and then eventually they'll stop.

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So BPPV is vertigo thatlasts seconds to minutes and eventually stops. Typically, you need to see an ENT for a diagnosis with something called a Dix Hallpike Maneuver, and for treatment, which is called an Epley Maneuver, where we rotate the head to put those crystals back into their correct location.

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Hope that helps. I'm Dr Madeleine Herman from SCENT Houston, your Houston ENT