BPPV occurs when small crystals enter the inner ear semi-circular canals of our vestibular system, causing excessive motion sensations experienced as vertigo (spinning). This is debilitating, but easily treated by our highly trained functional neurologists and occupational therapists. Our team is led by Dr. Aaron Macarthur, a functional neurologist who holds fellowships in vestibular diagnosis and rehabilitation (dizziness/vertigo) and traumatic brain injury/concussion. Our team quickly assesses the source of your problem and provides effective treatments that immediately start resolving your dizziness and vertigo.
Sometimes, these can go undiagnosed and cause chronic issues centrally within the brainstem communicating pathways that carry movement signals within our brain and between our brain and body. These neuropathways act as roads in our brain, carrying information accurately and quickly allowing us to execute proper function and normal balance and sensation. Our Functional Neurologists are experts in healing your vertigo/dizziness by locating the source of symptoms and addressing the disrupted vestibular canals and their neuropathways and connections for complete resolution, long-term.
Our Chiropractic (Functional) Neurologists evaluate brain function through sophisticated eye movement and balance (vestibular) testing that maps brain function to show the location of your dizziness/vertigo, locating weaker areas and slow signaling that causes symptoms. How is this possible? Each eye movement relates to a specific part of the brain, allowing us to detect errors that we can trace back to find the origin of your symptoms and disrupted neuropathways. MRI's, CT and other testing only show pathology, not function. They show what HAS happened, not what IS happening. Our testing shows how well (or poorly) the brain is functioning (what IS happening). In addition, we perform tilt table testing that allows us to locate and understand exactly where the source of your autonomic dysfunction is, which is related to chronic BPPV related vertigo and dizziness. Symptoms that may be related to BPPV are:
*additional symptoms apply
Is Chiropractic (Functional) Neurology right for me?
We have excellent results with BPPV patients, using a combination of functional neurology, chiropractic care, and physical rehabilitation. Our team of Occupational Therapists, Chiropractic Neurologists, Medical Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Chiropractic Assistants, and friendly administative staff provide exceptional care along all levels of your problem.
Our Functional Neurology team has extensive training in neurology, particularly in vertigo/dizziness. Our doctors have fellowships in concussion/mild traumatic brain injury and also in vestibular rehabilitation (vertigo/dizziness). Dysautonomia may be connected to BPPV and is an area our doctors and staff have extensive training.
We specialize in treating difficult and complex cases, often having failed treatments through other endeavors. Our chiropractic neurology approach locates the root cause, looking in depth at all systems and their interactions through the complexities of the nervous system. Once we have located the problem(s), we then create a specific treatment plan to address and restore function to all of the involved structures and connections, creating complete restoration for the individual as symptoms abate.
Treatment of BPPV is through the Epley Manever, which is a repositioning maneuvers that relocates the otoconia from the Semicircular canals and into our drainage system for excretion. It is a Four part maneuver as the patient is held in each position until nystagmus has dissipated before moving onto the following position. Patient is instructed to sleep in a reclined position that evening, staying as upright as possible for the remainder of the day to ensure drainage and limiting head movements.
It is important to understand that peripheral and central conditions may overlap and can be confused for one another. The hallmark for BPPV is positional induced and it is fatiguable. Peripheral abnormalities usually improve with fixation. If not in normal presentation of canals, consider Cardiovascular or CNS issues that can manifest as BPPV similarities are MS, cerebellar tumors, infarction, hematoma, vertebral artery compromise, brainstem ischemia or head injury.
(1) You Peng, MD, Instrum Ryan, MD, Parnes Lorne, MD, FRCSC. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. 2019 Feb: 4 (1): 116-123.
