What's Happening

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) happens when tiny calcium crystals that normally sit in one part of the inner ear become dislodged and drift into one of the balance canals — most often the posterior canal. When you move your head a certain way, that debris shifts and sends your brain a false signal of spinning.

By the Numbers

2.4%

lifetime prevalence in the general population

>50%

of all peripheral vertigo cases are BPPV

76–93%

resolve with a repositioning maneuver

What It Feels Like

  • Brief spinning episodes, usually under a minute, triggered by a specific head movement

  • Common triggers: rolling over in bed, looking up, bending forward, or tipping your head back

  • Up to half of people feel mildly unsteady between episodes, even when the spinning itself has passed

  • Most common in the 5th–7th decades of life, and about twice as common in women

How We Treat It

  1. Pinpoint the source — positional testing identifies exactly which canal and which ear is involved.

  2. Canalith repositioning — a specific sequence of head and body movements (the Epley or Semont maneuver) guides the debris back out of the canal, often resolving symptoms in one to a few visits.

  3. Retrain your balance system — brief residual unsteadiness afterward responds well to targeted vestibular exercises.

  4. Confirm resolution — a recheck to make sure the positional signs have fully cleared.

Bottom line: BPPV is common, unmistakable once identified, and one of the most reliably treatable causes of dizziness we see — most people notice significant relief after just one or two guided repositioning treatments.