This is a highly practical and application one day workshop with low numbers of participants for a low student to tutor ratio.

Course Description

This is an extremely common cause of vertigo; about 20% of all dizziness is due to BPPV. It can occur in children but the older you are, the more likely it is that your dizziness is due to BPPV. About 50% of all dizziness in older people is due to BPPV.

In Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) dizziness is caused by debris that has collected within a part of the inner ear.  This debris consists of tiny crystals of calcium carbonate. They come from a part of the ear called the utricle and cause trouble when they migrate into the canal system. The utricle may have been damaged by head injury, infection, or other disorder of the inner ear, or may have degenerated because of advanced age.

This problem often subsides or disappears within six months of onset but a significant number of patients are plagued for years. Until a few years ago the condition was untreatable, nowadays a very effective treatment has been found which involves moving the head in a specific pattern to dislodge the crystals from the canal system. This manoeuvre is referred to as the Epley canalith repositioning manoeuvre and can be easily learnt during a day course. The Semont Liberatory manoeuvre is also taught. Participants are also shown how to identify and treat the less common horizontal canal BPPV. These treatments have been found to be 70-80% effective with one treatment, with increasing effectiveness with repetition.

Participants will be taught the differential diagnosis of other causes of vertigo and how to identify the signs and symptoms of serious pathology.

This condition is frequently the cause of falls and therefore useful for physiotherapists working with the elderly. It is increasingly referred to outpatient departments by consultants and GPs. This course will be particularly useful to staff working with the elderly and in outpatient departments.

At the end of the course students will be able to :

• Describe the clinical presentation of BPPV
• Describe the patho-anatomy of BPPV
• Effectively carry out the Hall-Pike Dix diagnostic test and both the Epley Canalith repositioning manoeuvre and the Semont Liberatory manoeuvre to treat BPPV.#
• Identify and treat horizontal canal BPPV
• Identify 5 differential diagnoses of vertigo
   

Who is this course aimed at?

This course is aimed at all those who encounter patients with dizziness.

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Previous Participant Reviews "Comprehensive overview of anatomy of vestibular system and differential diagnosis which help relate reasoning for treatment manoeuvres" (20/4/08) "Perfect 1 day course for anyone wanting to see BPPV patients for the first time." (20/4/08) "It seems awful that I didn't know the theory of the vestibular system before. This is the course I needed and it's met my service development needs." (20/4/08) "Perfect course for newcomers to BPPV to increase knowledge and gain new skills that can easily be applied to daily practice." (20/4/08) "Well balanced between theory and practice. Difficult concepts presented in a simple manner." (20/4/08). "A well structured, interactive introduction to diagnosing and treating various vertigo presentations." (20/4/08) "This is an excellent course for any physio working in outpatients, neurology and elderly care setting." (20/4/08) "A comprehensive day, I learnt a lot. Knowledgeable educator with a good teaching style." (19/4/08)
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DVD Set		Hubert van Griensven	Diane Lee	Compressor Belt
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