Simple exercises may relieve recurrent, short-term dizziness

The question: People who feel five- to 30-second bouts of vertigo when they quickly move their heads, generally can get relief through medication or exercises performed under a doctor’s or therapist’s guidance. Symptoms frequently recur, however. Does self-treatment work?

This study randomly assigned 70 adults who had experienced benign paroxysmal positional vertigo for an average of eight weeks to perform one of two routines three times a day until the dizziness episodes had not occurred for 24 hours. Both routines — known as a modified Epley procedure and a modified Semont maneuver — involved specific head and body position changes done while sitting on a bed. The goal was to clear from the inner ear canal loose particles that are believed to cause this type of vertigo. After a week of doing the movements at their homes, 95 percent of the people practicing the Epley routine and 58 percent of those trying the Semont maneuver reported being free of vertigo.

Who may be affected by these findings?Anyone with positional vertigo, which occurs mainly in people over age 50 and in women more than men.

Caveats: Movements must be performed precisely; the lesser success of the Semont maneuver was attributed to incorrect execution by participants. The study did not include a control group to compare the effect of these movements with no treatment.

Bottom line: People with short-lasting vertigo may want to ask a neurologist about these movements.

Find this study in the July 13 issue of Neurology; abstract available online at www.neurology.org.

Learn more about positional vertigo at www.american-hearing.org (under “QuickFind,” click “Balance topics,” then “BPPV”). To view a video of the movements, go to www.neurology.org.