#bppv #stroke #vertigo BPPV is scary the first time you have it. Learn the difference between BPPV and stroke and what to do!
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Take control of BPPV, stop the spinning and keep if from coming back with the BPPV Protocol Click here: bppvcured.com
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Do you know the difference between BPPV vertigo and a stroke? Both conditions can come on suddenly and are both very frightening but it is very important to know the difference, and it could help you save a life! I’m Dr AJ Ludlow and in this video we’re going to cover the difference between these to conditions and what to do if you think you have them.
Fortunately there are some key differences between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV and a stroke, even though they can both cause dizziness. Lets cover the symptoms of a stroke first.
A stroke is caused by a loss of blood flow to the brain when a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain becomes blocked by something like a clot or if it ruptures. This is a life threatening condition and stroke symptoms should not be ignored! Here’s what to look for according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention: sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding speech. Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes. Sudden difficulty in walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or loss of coordination. Sudden severe headache with no known cause. There is a screening tool called F.A.S.T. to help you know if someone is having a stroke. F is for face, ask the person to smile and check to see if one side is drooping. A is for arms, have them raise both arms and see if one side drifts downwards. S is for speech: ask the person to repeat a simple phrase and so you can check for slurring of the speech or other differences from normal speech. T is for time. If you suspect that you or another person is having a stroke, call 911 right away. Time is crucial to get life saving treatment. Take note of the time stroke symptoms began, this will help health care providers know which treatment to use. The sooner the stroke patient gets treatment the better their outcome generally will be. Every minute counts. Don’t attempt to drive the person to the hospital yourself because there are life saving treatments they can begin in the ambulance that can make a big difference.
Now lets go over the symptoms of BPPV and then we can compare the two. BPPV is caused by particles that enter the inner ear canal, which, when they move they create a false sensation of spinning. The key symptoms of vertigo are short spinning episodes that last about 30 to 60 seconds. These episodes are only triggered by certain head position changes. These including getting into or out of bed, or rolling out of bed. Tilting your head back to look up or tilting your head down parallel with the floor. BPPV won’t cause a general feeling of dizziness but rather a specific feeling like the room is spinning. This feeling is very intense and can cause nausea and vomiting but will subside in about a minute. It’s also accompanied by nystagmus which is a rapid beating movement of the eyes.
Comparing the two conditions we have one main overlapping symptom of dizziness or vertigo. If that is your only symptom, the chances of it being a stroke are much lower. Also, the dizziness with BPPV will calm down and go away in about a minute and then the person will be fine, with no more dizziness or difficulty walking until another attack is triggered by the same predictable head movements. Dizziness from a stroke will generally not go away so quickly. Each stroke can be unique with dizziness that comes on for a short period and then goes away but it will not be triggered in the same way that BPPV is triggered. BPPV will not cause facial drooping or weakness on one side of the body, it won’t cause confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding speech. It may aggravate a headache but doesn’t usually cause one on its own and it won’t cause lasting vertigo or dizziness.
If you think you or someone you know may have had a stroke, call 911 to get them to the emergency room as soon as possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between and BPPV and a stroke. There are also other causes of vertigo that can be more difficult to differentiate from a stroke. In these cases it takes an MRI or CT scan and specialized knowledge to get a diagnosis and proper treatment. For non-emergency causes of vertigo a neurologist or ENT can help with diagnosis.
If you think you have BPPV as a cause of your vertigo and you want a step by step program to immediately stop the spinning episodes and learn how to keep if from coming back click on the link at the end of this video!