What do frozen shoulder and some forms of BPPV have in common?

Just like frozen shoulder occurs in stages (freezing, frozen and thawing), I believe some forms of BPPV occur in stages.  Stages for some forms of BPPV seem to be dumping, dumped and recovery.  Based upon what I see in the clinic, timing of when clients receive repositioning treatments seems to impact the success of the maneuvers for some individuals.   I believe some forms of BPPV suddenly occur.  In other words, if 100,000 pieces of otoconia are going to fall out, they all fall out at once. These clients seem to reposition fairly easily.   I believe there are others who dump a few thousand out every day or week for a period of time.  If we try to reposition otoconia when the person is in the dumping phase, we will need to continue repositioning periodically until the client reaches the dumped or recovery phase.  I believe the dumping stage represents BPPV at an unstable level.

Many forms of vestibular dysfunction seem to occur in stages.  Depending upon whether or not vestibular rehab works will depend upon which stage the individual is in.

Everyone has rocks in their heads, but

not everyone's rocks are loose!  We all have calcium carbonate crystals inside our inner ears.  They shift forward and back and up and down to help us sense movement and the position of our heads.  Sometimes they fall out from where they are supposed to be (Vestibule) and go where they are not supposed to be (Semicircular Canals).  This condition is called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.    Physical Therapy is usually very helpful at correcting the problem if the problem does not correct itself. 

It is important to not assume that just because one is dizzy that they have BPPV.  There are many other causes of dizziness than BPPV.  I think individuals, who have not been diagnosed by their Doctors, hear about BPPV and hope it is the cause of their problem.  However, it is very important each individual receive a diagnosis from their Physician or the Emergency Department Physician if they are dizzy and do not know why.