Vertigo Effectively Treated at Home

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Vertigo Effectively Treated at Home

Mon 12 July, 2004 21:28

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A body-positioning technique is an effective

at-home treatment for a common cause of dizziness resulting from the

build-up of crystals in the inner ear, new research indicates.

The findings, which appear in the medical journal Neurology, show that a

technique called the modified Epley procedure (MEP) works much better on

" benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, " as the condition is called, than

another technique called the modified Semont maneuver (MSM)....

With MEP, the patient sits on a bed with the head turned slightly toward the

affected ear. Next, the patient quickly reclines on to their back with the

shoulders supported by a pillow. After waiting for 30 seconds, the patient

turns the head to the right 90 degrees and waits for 30 seconds more.

Lastly, the head and body are turned another 90 degrees to the right for 30

seconds before sitting again.

With MSM, the patient sits on a bed with the head turned slightly toward the

unaffected ear. The patient then drops quickly to the body side of the

affected ear and waits 30 seconds. Without stopping in the upright position,

the patient then shifts quickly to the opposite body side and waits for 30

seconds before sitting again.

After 1 week of treatment, 95 percent of participants using MEP were free

from vertigo, the authors report. In contrast, the response rate in the MSM

group was just 58 percent.

Incorrect performance was one of the main reasons why the MSM procedure

failed, the researchers point out. No differences were seen between the

groups in treatment-related side effects.

In a related editorial, Dr. ph M. Furman, from the University of

Pittsburgh, and Dr. C. Hain, from Northwestern University in

ton, Illinois, note that " until recurrences can be prevented,

self-treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

using...repositioning is likely to become part of the routine management for

this condition. "

SOURCE: Neurology, July 13, 2004.