BPPV – Where Do the Crystals/Rocks Come From? (Are they normal?)

August 18, 2023

One of the most common questions I get from people trying to treat their BPPV is “Where do those crystals come from?”

In addition, they usually ask “Are the crystals normal?”

To be clear, the little crystals (or rocks, depending on who you talk to) are called otoconia, and when they float into your “semicircular canals” they cause vertigo.

We call this type of vertigo BPPV, which stands for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

Our goal with the treatment of BPPV is to get those little crystals OUT of the semicircular canals and back where they came from (the “utricle”).

In this video, I’ll explain where those little crystals come from, and I’ll address the question about whether or not they’re “normal”.

I hope it helps you understand more about BPPV, as well as how to treat it! If you have additional questions or comments, please leave them below the video 🙂

– Luke Gordon, DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy/Owner of Gordon Physical Therapy) https://www.gordonphysicaltherapy.com/balance-fall-prevention/