Vital Signs: Remedies; Stilling the Sensations of Vertigo
VITAL SIGNS: REMEDIES; Stilling the Sensations of Vertigo
By JOHN O’NEIL
People with vertigo feel as if their head is spinning, but a set of head-shaking exercises can cure most cases of one common form of the disorder, a new study says.
The study, published last week in the journal Neurology, concerned benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, sometimes called top shelf vertigo because it can be set off by tilting the head into an unusual position. The condition, which is more common in older people and women, is caused when particles that have become dislodged within the inner ear disturb the hair cell receptors that monitor balance by detecting shifts in the fluid of the inner ear.
Researchers have developed exercises to address the problem by directing the particles back where they belong. The exercises require the patient’s head and body to be tilted, turned and swung.
In the new study, researchers tested two of these exercises, the Semont maneuver and the Eply procedure, in 70 patients. The patients were shown how to perform them by a doctor and were then asked to repeat them at home three times a day for a week or until the vertigo had disappeared for 24 hours. Videos of both techniques are at www.neurology.org.
The treatment was 95 percent effective for those using the Eply procedure, and almost as good for those who used the Semont maneuver, said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Andrea Radtke of the Charité Neurological Clinic in
Unfortunately, Dr. Radtke said, many neurologists are not aware of the exercises. An accompanying editorial, ”Do Try This at Home,” endorsed their wider use, although it noted that a doctor should first make sure that some other illness is not causing the dizziness.
This information was obtained via: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E2DD103AF933A15754C0A9629C8B63&fta=y&scp=7&sq=vertigo&st=cse&pagewanted=print
VITAL SIGNS: REMEDIES; Stilling the Sensations of Vertigo
By JOHN O’NEIL
People with vertigo feel as if their head is spinning, but a set of head-shaking exercises can cure most cases of one common form of the disorder, a new study says.
The study, published last week in the journal Neurology, concerned benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, sometimes called top shelf vertigo because it can be set off by tilting the head into an unusual position. The condition, which is more common in older people and women, is caused when particles that have become dislodged within the inner ear disturb the hair cell receptors that monitor balance by detecting shifts in the fluid of the inner ear.
Researchers have developed exercises to address the problem by directing the particles back where they belong. The exercises require the patient’s head and body to be tilted, turned and swung.
In the new study, researchers tested two of these exercises, the Semont maneuver and the Eply procedure, in 70 patients. The patients were shown how to perform them by a doctor and were then asked to repeat them at home three times a day for a week or until the vertigo had disappeared for 24 hours. Videos of both techniques are at www.neurology.org.
The treatment was 95 percent effective for those using the Eply procedure, and almost as good for those who used the Semont maneuver, said the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Andrea Radtke of the Charité Neurological Clinic in
Unfortunately, Dr. Radtke said, many neurologists are not aware of the exercises. An accompanying editorial, ”Do Try This at Home,” endorsed their wider use, although it noted that a doctor should first make sure that some other illness is not causing the dizziness.
This information was obtained via: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E2DD103AF933A15754C0A9629C8B63&fta=y&scp=7&sq=vertigo&st=cse&pagewanted=print
