Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, can lead to dizziness, nausea and vomiting. The condition occurs when calcium carbonate crystals in the inner ear move out of place. It is usually treated with a fairly straightforward set of head and body movements called repositioning maneuvers, which help move the crystals back where they belong.
Jennifer Purks, a University of Florida neurologist, and several colleagues recently wrote a letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology promoting the Semont-plus maneuver as an additional option alongside the better-known Epley maneuver. Both treatments use a prescribed sequence of leaning, sitting up, lying back and head movements.
“The Epley maneuver strives to reset the appropriate orientation of those crystals. And then that can correct and help resolve the profound dizziness, spinning, nausea, vomiting...,” Purks said.
The Semont-plus maneuver may be a better fit for patients with cervical spine or shoulder issues, or for people who have already tried the Epley maneuver.
“The Semont-plus harnesses a larger range of movement, so there's a greater degree needed to completely correct those canals and the crystals,” she said.
The UF researchers said both techniques have a role and argued that patients should have access to both options.
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