For patients who have vertigo as a result of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) there are at home exercises you can do to help these symptoms. The idea behind these is to get in to positions that cause the symptoms and fatigue the body’s response to them. This should be performed seated first and then progress to standing. They should be done slowly and progressively increase speed.
- After determining the head positions that cause problems, either get in to the position and hold it for 30 seconds or repeatedly get into the position several times until the sense of vertigo diminishes.
- Practice moving the eyes up and down and side to side with the head remaining stationary
- Repeat the exercises while focusing on a finger held in front of the face
- Bend over the pickup objects 20-30 times
- Throw a ball from hand to hand while watching the ball (20-30 times)
- Walk across a room 10 times with eyes open
- Walk across a room while turning the head slowly from side to side, attempting to focus on pictures or cards placed on the wall
- Walk across a room 10 times with the eyes closed
Yours in Health – Dr. Rob