There are many causes of dizziness and vertigo that we are now able to recognize and treat. One common type of vertigo, known as BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo), aka “the crystal problem”, can be cured with a procedure known as a CRM (Canalith Repositioning Maneuver). Symptoms of BPPVinclude brief vertigo, lasting 10-15 seconds, brought on by lying back or getting up from bed, rolling over in bed, looking up or down. It is important to identify which type of BPPV is present, as we now know multiple types of BPPV exist. With the appropriate CRM, success in treating BPPV is nearly 100%. We should no longer be using medications, such as meclizine, or habituation exercises (Brandt-Daroff or Cawthorne-Cooksey) to treat BPPV. Click here to view a video of the most common type of BPPV, posterior semicircular canal BPPV.

Unfortunately, BPPV has become a well known entity over the years and is now over diagnosed.  Treatment with a CRM in someone who does not have BPPV will not work.  So, if you have been told that you have BPPV, but your vertigo symptoms did not resolve after a correctly performed CRM, then BPPV may not be the correct diagnosis.