Learn
Understanding your vertigo
Plain-language basics on BPPV and how the maneuvers work.
When it’s NOT simple BPPV
Get urgent medical care if dizziness comes with any of these — they can point to something more serious:
- Sudden, severe or 'worst ever' headache
- Double vision, or new trouble seeing
- Slurred speech or trouble finding words
- Weakness or numbness in the face, arm or leg
- Trouble walking or severe loss of balance
- New hearing loss or ringing in one ear
- Fainting, chest pain, or shortness of breath
- A recent head or neck injury
What is BPPV?
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is the most common cause of vertigo. Tiny calcium crystals (otoconia) come loose and drift into one of the inner-ear balance canals. When you move your head, they shift the fluid and your brain gets a false sense of spinning — usually for under a minute.
How do repositioning maneuvers help?
Maneuvers like Epley and Semont guide those crystals out of the sensitive canal and back to where they belong, so head movements stop triggering vertigo. They're the standard, evidence-based treatment for posterior-canal BPPV.
Which maneuver should I use?
If a clinician identified the affected ear, Epley is first-line. Semont is a quicker alternative. Brandt-Daroff doesn't need a known side and works through repetition — a good daily exercise or fallback when you're unsure.
How often can I do them?
Epley/Semont can often be repeated a few times in a session and over several days. Brandt-Daroff is typically done in sets of 5, three times a day. If symptoms don't improve after about a week, check back with your clinician.
Is it normal to feel dizzy during the maneuver?
Yes — a wave of dizziness as you reach certain positions is expected and usually settles within a minute. That's why each hold has a timer. If it's severe or you feel faint, stop and rest.
Watch & learn
Short demonstrations from trusted medical sources. Videos play from YouTube and only load when you tap them.
What is BPPV?
A short overview of what BPPV is and why head movements set off the spinning.
Epley maneuver — and how to find the affected side
An ENT walks through the Dix-Hallpike test and the Epley maneuver for both ears.
Semont (Liberatory) maneuver — Left ear
Step-by-step Semont maneuver for left-sided posterior-canal BPPV.
Semont (Liberatory) maneuver — Right ear
Step-by-step Semont maneuver for right-sided posterior-canal BPPV.
Brandt-Daroff habituation exercise
How to perform Brandt-Daroff exercises at home as daily practice.
Brandt-Daroff exercises (NHS)
A concise NHS demonstration of the Brandt-Daroff vestibular exercise.
These are third-party videos hosted on YouTube and aren’t produced or endorsed by VertiGo. Techniques can vary slightly between sources — if anything conflicts with your clinician’s advice, follow your clinician.
VertiGo is an educational self-management tool, not a medical device, and does not provide a diagnosis. Maneuver steps are modeled on widely published patient guidance (e.g. AAO-HNS and NHS). Always follow advice from your own clinician.