The main symptom descriptor for positional vertigo is SPINNING. So if you are spinning or know someone who is spinning, then you are in the right place. If spinning does not describe you, check out our site for more descriptors and what to do.

What to do when you are spinning?

Not a lot of people are aware that you can go to a physical therapist when you have the sensation of spinning. But you can and you should!

We have talked to so many patients about the long journey they went through before getting to the right spot. This journey may include trips to the ER due to how frightening these episodes can be. It can also include primary care doctors, ENT’s, and neurologists. We strive to educate and collaborate with these other healthcare providers to shorten the time between onset of a patient having symptoms and getting help.

So, in this blog, our goal is to answer the question, “What do I do when I am spinning?”. We want to lay out the roadmap so it is very clear on when you should just call your vestibular physical therapist or when, in fact, you do need to go to the ER.

Why am I spinning?

There can be several reasons why a person experiences vertigo. However, spinning is very specific to what we call BPPV, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. BPPV is when calcium carbonate deposits or “crystals” within the inner ear, for a number of reasons, become dislodged and begin to float in semicircular canals. These canals are responsible to tell you where you are in space when you turn your head. Seeing as these crystals are misplaced and should not be in the canals, when you change positions they move and create a sensation of spinning. This spinning with true positional vertigo should last 30 seconds- 2 minutes after a change in position such as completing the following activities:

How long will it last?

This varies from person to person. If it is truly BPPV and you catch it immediately, a trained professional can maneuver the crystals back to their original location within 2-3 visits. There are some cases where this can resolve on its own, however, even if one crystal is left in the canal, your entire system will begin to slowly decompensate. This means that over time, the inner ear that had the crystal still floating in the canal where it shouldn’t have been will not be able to do its job at full capacity. When the inner ear is not able to perform at full capacity, a number of other symptoms can begin slowly over time as your system is not communicating correctly with the brain and eyes. This can be avoided by addressing the positional vertigo immediately.

Can I treat it at home?

Yes and no. Initially, it is best to be diagnosed and treated by a specialized professional. Once they accurately diagnose you and perform the full treatment, it may be possible to perform safely at home. However, this treatment does not need to be done everyday or as a prevention. And in some cases, people attempt home BPPV maneuvers incorrectly or for the wrong ear and only further their dizziness. There is a 22% conversion rate of re-positioning the crystals into another canal. So, you can get the crystal out of 1 canal but if it pops into another one, you are still going to be feeling your spinning symptoms and have only changed the problem - not fixed it.

How do I treat it?

How do I find someone near me?

There is a great resource called VEDA that allows you to find someone specialized near you. You can put in the zip code and it will provide information accordingly.

Not spinning? Check out the other types of dizziness we can help treat!