Treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo – A case study

Abstract

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common cause of vertigo and can be successfully treated with particle-repositioning procedures or habituation exercises. However, some patients do not tolerate this treatment. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of treating patients with BPPV, where treatment at first seemed too demanding for the patients, using a descriptive study in a primary health care centre setting. Three patients, aged 79, 81 and 89, with BPPV, who could not tolerate common treatment, were studied. The main outcome measure was the Dix–Hallpike manoeuvre. The patients were successfully treated with versions of manoeuvre treatment and habituation exercises, including rolling from supine to side-lying, performing habituation exercises more slowly than recommended and use of sedation. The results show that, with a few adjustments, it is possible to successfully treat patients for whom the treatment at first seems too demanding. Since BPPV is possible to treat, every opportunity to minimize vertigo among the elderly is valuable, irrespective of factors such as fear, reduced mobility, concomitant or multiple diseases.

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
• BPPV
• habituation exercises
• manoeuvre treatment