long story short

I've had 8+ concussions of note in my life; 5 years ago was last and it was a double whammy:
I hit head on short concrete door header, pretty sure I cracked my skull... never went to doc (for first year) but didn't really get off couch for a month had to sleep upright to not get pukey;

3 weeks later I rolled my SUV; once not hard... but over

for the past 5 years I've been pretty bad. I was on and off the edge of applying for disability... generally a burden on my family... much couch time.... little work, little chores

dizzy, woozy, can't hold a clear thought, can't remember ****

kids after 5 years... suddenly dizzy and woozy are gone and train of thought much improved.

and it happened INSTANTLY.

Here's how it went down... my aunt had to go under her house to inspect a leaking pipe.... when she came up from the crawl space she was dizzy... she goes to doctor... doctor says... oh you have BPPV... one of your ear crystals was out of place. doc does quick yoga like exercise with her... boom problem solved. she gives me a call

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) | Vestibular Disorders Association

my first thought... ear crystals? yeah right. that sounds hokey as hell.
I've been to 6 different neurologists, several psychologists, countless therapy sessions, etc etc etc.... none of them said I had a problem with my ears; general diagnosis was "post concussion syndrome" / "repetitive head injury syndrome" ...the only cure is time; it may never get better, etc.

so my wife looks up the exercise online.... tells me to assume the position

I do the manoeuvre.... stand up and feel nothing... still generally meh about the whole concept; yeah right; ear crystals sounds pretty quack science to me.

following day... whole day passes without dizziness
following week... no dizziness

2 weeks later... I'm crawling around in my own crawl space under my house... doing a task I had put off for 5 years.... come up after rolling around under the beams.

and relapse... totally whack dizzy like I had been; headache; generally feeling spun again.

but... I do the exercise again... and all seems good again

90 days have passed.

I have not been dizzy/woozy since.

none zero zilch


I still get headaches more easily than most... my memory is a little off... I've had some hard hitting concussions. but dizzy gone has been generally HUGE improvement to my daily lifestyle.... I've probably dropped 15lbs in past couple of months. I'm productive again. I can bend over and tie my shoes! I patched a hole in my roof. I can tote firewood. I can stand up from my computer chair without holding onto my desk for a pause! Inspired.

there are three exercises I know of; I did the "brandt daroff"; its so simple its ridiculous.

the other two are epley and semont.... I think the epley involves neck manipulation... totally unnecessary and potentially dangerous.

anyway

if you're dizzy, give brandt daroff a try

best of luck

-dontforgetusername




Brandt-Daroff Exercises for BPPV Dr. Michael Teixido - YouTube

Glad you hear you are doing better. We routinely recommend having a therapist do the Epley maneuver. It can be very helpful if the condition is the crystals. Epley does not involve neck manipulation.

I've never heard of the other procedures. I looked them up. Semont is similar to Brandt Daroff. Epley is the roll on the floor maneuver.

The goal is like you are trying to get a grain of sand out of a snail shell. You need to tip the shell in the correct way to move the grain.

One site suggest a progression. The Epley should be tried first. If it does not work, the Semont should be tried. The Brandt Daroff should be the last option.

DizzyFIX Vertigo Solution

Here is another web site that includes the Foster half-somersault and a 5th he calls the full-circle.

Home treatment of BPPV

It is important to be careful doing these. If you notice any numbness or tingling, STOP. There is a head/neck position that can precipitate a stroke in some people by pinching the vertebral artery.