Finding Relief From Dizziness Through Canalith Repositioning

If you are one of the millions of people who battles extreme dizziness and intense vertigo each year, do not accept your condition as “part of getting old” or “the blood not getting to my head fast enough.” You might have a medical condition that requires attention. Fortunately, an extremely simple set of movements called Canalith Repositioning can be done to relieve and possibly end your condition.
What Causes Dizziness
As you probably know, the inner ear holds the key to your proper balance. When your inner ear is out of synch, you will experience dizziness and vertigo. When there are major problems in your inner ear, this dizziness can become severe. If you are feeling vertigo to the point of nausea, consult your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist. You might have a condition called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Two tip-offs that you could have BPPV are what you experience when you roll over in bed or when you rise to a sitting position to get out of bed. If these two common (and normally dizziness-free movements) are causing you severe vertigo, then you might have BPPV.
BPPV can be caused by a number of factors, but most often is a result of a head injury in people under 50 and due to old age in those over 50, as the machinery of the inner ear deteriorates. People that have BPPV often feel as if they are drunk for no reason,  and they sometimes fall over in extreme cases as they are unable to maintain their balance. Of course, people with this type of extreme vertigo might have a serious medical condition, but about 20% of all people with such symptoms (and 50% among the elderly with these symptoms) are struggling with BPPV, which is not a serious condition.
Treating BPPV
Treating BPPV usually does not require drugs or surgery. In fact, a simple, gentle series of movements called Canalith Repositioning can work wonders for those with BPPV. So, the first order of business if you have problems with dizziness (up to 3 million Americans a year, do, for example) is to contact a medical professional and obtain a diagnosis. If your condition is not serious and you are diagnosed as simply having BPPV, the treatment is simple and pain-free.
BPPV results when tiny calcium carbonate crystals called “canalith” are moved from an area where they are usually absorbed into a part of the inner ear where they cannot be eliminated. These “ear rocks” literally rock your world as you battle a lack of balance when you make certain movements with your head, many of them quite normal. Another tip-off that you might have BPPV is what you feel when you are craning your neck to get a look at something above your line of vision, at an elevated shelf in your kitchen, for instance. If that simple movement causes you to teeter, you could have BPPV.
The canaliths move into sensing tubes that your ear uses to detect motion and gravity. When those tubes are not right, even everyday movements of the head produce a spinning sensation. The Canalith Repositioning movements do exactly what their name indicates—they move the crystals from your sensing tubes into a different chamber of the inner ear where they belong and can be absorbed with no consequences for you.

Growing Support of Canalith Repositioning

Doctors have wrestled with how to treat vertigo in patients but recently have done a review of 40 years of research on the treatment of BPPV. Their conclusion recommends the use of a technique known as the Epley Maneuver to take a first crack at moving the ear rocks into the right place. This series of movements has also been called the Canalith Repositioning technique and it can be found in several variations on the Internet. Helpful videos can also guide you as to what needs to be done in case your health professional has not heard of this approach, which is gaining acceptance worldwide.
Canalith Repositioning has been found to have a cure rate of 80-90% in patients with BPPV, but it is still not yet taught in medical schools and some professionals scoff at its simplicity. Far from some quack cure, Canalith Repositioning actually makes a lot of sense when you realize that the objective is to move crystals from one position in your ear to another place where they will no longer affect your balance.
Steps to Take If You Experience Severe Vertigo
Once you have consulted a medical professional and received a diagnosis of BPPV, you should know which ear is causing you the difficulty that you are experiencing. With that knowledge, you can have your doctor guide you through Canalith Repositioning movements. Then, you can take this knowledge home and perform the movements yourself. Many patients continue Canalith Repositioning 2-3 times each night before going to bed to ensure that no new crystals take up residence where they should not.

Canalith Repositioning Explained

Here is one variation of the Canalith Repositioning movements (all variations differ only slightly):
1. Recline on a flat surface that is rigid, tilting your head back over the edge at a 20-45-degree angle. Be sure to keep your eyes open throughout these four movements of Canalith Repositioning. Hold this posture for 30 seconds.
2. Now, turn your head slowly towards the ear that has given you problems. Your head should eventually end up in a downward positioning at about a 20-45-degree angle. Hold this position for 30 seconds. If needed, turn your entire body onto its side while you hold your head downward.
3. Then, turn your head 180 degrees to the other, unaffected side. Again, if you need to move your entire body onto the other side, do so. As you come to rest on that other side, tilt your head downward at a 20-45-degree angle. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
4. Finally, sit up and move your head to a slight downward position, towards your neck. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat 1-2 more times if necessary.
These simple Canalith Repositioning movements should provide relief of BPPV. They are usually effective at moving the crystals within your inner ear so that your dizziness goes away. It is recommended that you do these movements under the supervision of a doctor the first time you attempt them. Then, if you find relief there, you can repeat them at home as necessary or as a precautionary step.