Vertigo & BPPV Physiotherapy in Pune: Stop the Spinning, Safely

If the room suddenly spins when you roll over in bed, look up, or bend down, you're likely dealing with vertigo, most often a treatable condition called BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo). The good news: it usually responds very quickly to the right physiotherapy, often within one or two sessions.

What is vertigo and what causes BPPV?

Vertigo is the sensation that you or the world around you is spinning. BPPV is the most common cause and happens when tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear move out of place, sending false signals to your brain about head position. It's harmless but extremely unpleasant, and easy to fix when diagnosed correctly.

Signs you may have BPPV

• Short, intense spinning episodes (usually under a minute)
• Triggered by head movement, rolling in bed, looking up, bending
• Nausea or imbalance after an episode
• No hearing loss (unlike some other inner-ear conditions)
• Episodes come in clusters over days or weeks

How vestibular physiotherapy treats it

Treatment starts with a careful assessment to confirm BPPV and identify which ear and canal are affected. The Dix-Hallpike test is the standard screen. Once confirmed, your physiotherapist performs a repositioning manoeuvre, most commonly the Epley manoeuvre, which guides the displaced crystals back to where they belong. Most patients feel a significant difference immediately.

Beyond BPPV: balance and gaze training

Not all dizziness is BPPV. For vestibular hypofunction, post-concussion dizziness, or age-related imbalance, treatment includes gaze stabilisation exercises, habituation drills, and progressive balance training to retrain the brain and reduce fall risk.

What to do at home

• Avoid sudden head movements during a flare
• Sleep slightly propped up for the first night or two after treatment
• Practise prescribed Brandt-Daroff or gaze exercises daily
• Stay hydrated, dehydration worsens dizziness
• Don't drive while symptomatic

When to see a physiotherapist

If positional vertigo is interfering with sleep, work, or daily life, don't wait it out. A trained vestibular physiotherapist can usually resolve BPPV in 1 to 3 sessions. YesPhysio9 offers vestibular assessment and treatment at our Pune clinic and at home across Aundh, Baner, Kothrud, and Wakad.