Craniosacral Therapy
Two common types of inner ear vertigo:
Understand the diffeence and what to do about it
By David Christine
Certified Craniosacral Therapist
Two of the most common forms of non-life-threatening vertigo involving dysfunction of the inner ear are Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and abnormal craniosacral temporal bone motion. Both are treatable, but because the treatments are different, it is important to understand the difference so the proper treatment can be selected.
Positional vertigo that lasts for seconds is caused by debris in the semi-circular canals of the inner ear. The semi-circular canals are fluid channels that respond to rotational movement. BPPV is most often experienced when getting out of bed or looking up at a high shelf. The dizziness lasts for seconds but stops as soon as the particles settle.
The particles will usually dislodge on their own if given enough time, but could takes weeks or months. Avoiding the dizzy-causing position only prolongs the amount of time it takes for the particles to dislodge. Medication, although often prescribed by doctors, is not recommended for BPPV as it slows the body’s natural adaptation response to the dizziness.
Craniosacral therapy will not help BPPV, but an exercise called the Epley maneuver literally shakes the particles out of the canals. The maneuver works very well, but causes dizziness each time the head is turned until the particles dislodge. A new exercise called the half-somersault takes more repetitions to work but patients like it better because the dizziness is less intense. Information on both these exercises can easily be found on the Internet.
The other common cause of chronic inner ear vertigo is a misalignment and consequent asymmetrical movement of the temporal bones of the skull. Temporal bone movement is invisible to the naked eye but can easily be felt by a skilled therapist. When the temporal bones move in opposite directions, the fluid movement in the semi-circular canals is disturbed giving us a sense that our head or body is spinning. Symptoms are episodic spinning vertigo lasting minutes to hours, but may also involve hearing loss, ringing and pressure in the ears. Gentle manipulation of the cranial bones and supporting structures re-aligns the bones usually in few sessions.
Immediate medical attention is indispensable whenever there is sudden, severe or unexplained dizziness or vertigo especially if there are accompanying symptoms such as blurred vision, slurred speech or confusion. Craniosacral therapy, which unfortunately is unrecognized by most physicians, is the only treatment that will work for inner ear vertigo that lasts for hours and involves temporal bone dysfunction.