If you've ever suddenly felt like you are on a tilt-a-whirl while you're walking down the street or even sitting in your office, then you might have vertigo.
Vertigo is the sensation of feeling off balance or like you are spinning or that the world around you is spinning. The feeling can come and go or it can last for hours or days. Along with the dizziness, people may also experience nausea or vomiting, headaches, double vision or a racing heartbeat.
Vertigo can be cause by many things - side effects from medication, Multiple Sclerosis, a brain injury or crystals in the ear - this is known as BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) or positional Vertigo and is defined as a false sensation of spinning. It is an inner ear disorder that can be triggered by certain head positions or movements, such as looking over your shoulder quickly or turning over in bed.
If this is something that you experience regularly or severely, physical therapy can help! Your physical therapist can evaluate your symptoms using various positioning techniques and take you through the various treatment maneuver.
In this video, you'll see Dr. Dan Deitz perform a test we use to confirm positional vertigo. If positional vertigo is the diagnosis, treatment can start immediately and will often only take 1-2 sessions to eliminate the vertigo (if caused by crystals in the ear*).
If you experience dizziness - whether occasionally or often - Physical Therapy could be the solution!