Vertigo: Not the Alfred Hitchcock movie

When you see the word Vertigo, I bet most of us think of Jimmy Stewart at his dashing best and Kim Novak stunning in her flawless wardrobe and bleach blonde hair. Very few of us would think about getting the room spins so badly that you can’t get out of bed.

Vertigo: Not the Alfred Hitchcock movie Published 8:51 am Wednesday, July 15, 2026 When you see the word Vertigo, I bet most of us think of Jimmy Stewart at his dashing best and Kim Novak stunning in her flawless wardrobe and bleach blonde hair. Very few of us would think about getting the room spins so badly that you can’t get out of bed.

Many people may have suffered from vertigo, or as it is properly called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV, and not even known it. It can affect people of all ages but tends to be more common in middle-aged and elderly people. At its most benign it is an irritation, a little “oops I’m feeling a bit dizzy” and it passes, to maybe come back later.

Sometimes it can feel like the room has dipped or swayed. It’s called benign because it’s not going to kill you, it just feels horrible when it’s at its worst. Paroxysmal means that it can come in a wave, generally not too long.

The positional part of the name means that it can be brought on by having your head in a certain position or tilted a different way or by positioning your body in a certain way. And last but not least, but certainly the most horrible part of this whole experience, vertigo is the actual medical term for this spinning sensation. I had the really unpleasant experience of severe room and bedspins when I laid down one night and turned onto my side.

Because I have had several friends experience vertigo, I had a pretty good idea that I wasn’t actually dying, and by lying quietly and not moving my head quickly, I was able to make it through the night. I went to East Kootenay Regional Hospital, they saw me quite quickly and after ascertaining that nothing more dire was going on, the doctor then proceeded to put me through a series of rotational positions called the Epley maneuver. It made the dizziness far worse while we were doing it, but it almost immediately made the vertigo less severe.

It’s actually quite interesting how the Epley maneuver works because what causes the vertigo are tiny little crystals inside of our ears. When they are in the right position they help us with our balance and sense of position in the world. But sometimes as we get older, if you hit your head or have a concussion, or have just been in a strange position — for instance while painting your ceiling for the day — the crystals can be dislodged and move into a part of the inner ear where they should not be.

It makes our brains think that we are moving when we are not. After a successful Epley maneuver, usually the crystals will be back, or on their way back to being where they are not an irritant. After 24 hours the Epley can be repeated by yourself at home or with a medical professional.

In my case, I was still experiencing dizziness a couple of days later, so I went to the Cranbrook Urgent and Primary Centre at the Baker Street Mall and was very fortunate to see Elizabeth Ballard, the physiotherapist who worked there then. She had taken the Bernard Tonks advanced training in BPPV. She did an in-depth assessment of both ears to find out if the vertigo was only in one, or if it was in the other six parts of the inner ear, and then did several extra maneuvers to help put the vertigo to rest.

I was very grateful for her competence and ability to take the treatment to the next level. From what I understand, most doctors will get some form of training in the Epley maneuver, but Elizabeth has additional training for treating this condition. They used to suggest curtailing your activities, but now the prevailing wisdom is to get back to your normal behavior so that your brain will reboot itself, according to Elizabeth.

She did recommend that you rest in the office or hospital, for 10 to 20 minutes after the maneuver, restrict your driving if you are still dizzy, and move with care for the next 24 to 48 hours as your system resets. She suggested a follow-up in one to two weeks if your symptoms persist. I was pleased to hear that she has opened NeuroAlign Physiotherapy upstairs above the Remax on Baker Street and I went to visit her the other day.

I think seeking out people who have taken extra courses in this treatment would be one’s wisest course of action and certainly what I will do in the future. They also help patients of all ages at the clinic, who are experiencing falls, Parkinsons, stroke recovery, including using the up-to-date Bobath method, cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions, as well as vertigo. They are open five days a week and can be contacted at 778-802-6519.

I am just so relieved that the Hospital’s Emergency Doctor and Elizabeth were able to help me and I could feel like myself again. If it comes back, I will now know what to do. Now if only Jimmy Stewart would take a shine to me – that would be a really good end to this movie.

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