Benign Positional Vertigo
- Benign Positional Vertigo Overview
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- Benign Positional Vertigo Symptoms
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Benign Positional Vertigo Overview
Benign positional vertigo (BPV)-or simply vertigo-is a disorder of the inner ear. You feel a sudden sensation of movement or spinning when you move your head or hold it in a certain position.
The inner ear is located within your skull and consists of the cochlea, a chamber shaped like a snail shell, where sound is transformed to nerve signals for the brain, and 3 semi-circular canals that function like a gyroscope, relaying information about head position and movement to the brain.
The semicircular canals contain fluid and special sensors that, when disturbed, inform the brain of a change in head position. It is thought that when you have BPV small particles become dislodged within the inner ear and then bounce around when your head moves, triggering faulty signals that your head is still moving even after it stops. This sensation of movement or imbalance when you are not moving is called vertigo, the primary symptom of benign positional vertigo.
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Benign Positional Vertigo - Diagnosis and Treatment
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Benign Positional Vertigo
Vertigo Overview
Vertigo is the feeling that you or your environment is moving or spinning. It differs from dizziness in that vertigo describes an illusion of movement. When you feel as if you yourself are moving, it's called subjective vertigo, and the perception that your surroundings are moving is called objective vertigo.
Unlike nonspecific lightheadedness or dizziness, vertigo has relatively few causes.
Vertigo Causes
Vertigo can be caused by problems in the brain or the
inner ear.
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common form of vertigo and is
characterized by the sensation of motion initiated by sudden head movements or moving the head in a certain direction. This type of vertigo is rarely serious and can be treated.
- Vertigo may also be caused by inflammation within the inner ear (labyrinthitis), which is characterized by the sudden onset of...
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Benign Positional Vertigo »
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is probably the most common single cause of vertigo in the United States.
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