The Epley maneuver can be done at home. We often recommend the home Epley to our patients who have a clear diagnosis. This procedure seems to be even more effective than the in-office procedure, perhaps because it is repeated every night for a week. Sometimes a single Epley Maneuver fixes the problem. As the soon as the procedure works, it is not necessary, nor advisable, to continue. It is often recommended to do the Maneuver around bedtime. That way, if dizziness is worsened, it may resolved during sleep.
A Hallpike maneuver, also known as a Dix-Hallpike test, is a medical test that a doctor may perform on a patient who has dizziness or vertigo. The Hallpike maneuver is typically used to determine if a patient’s dizziness is caused by an inner ear disorder. Patients with dizziness may undergo a series of tests during a medical examination. After a Hallpike maneuver and other tests, many doctors are better able to diagnose the cause of a patient’s dizziness and recommend an appropriate treatment.
During a Hallpike maneuver, a patient usually sits on a table. A doctor typically lays the patient down very quickly, with the patient situated so that his head hangs over the table’s edge. While the patient lies down, the physician simultaneously turns the patient’s head to the left or the right in most cases. Patients often develop dizziness and nystagmus very quickly from this maneuver if they have an inner ear disorder. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye movement that generally causes fast movement of the eyes in one direction alternating with a smoother eye movement in the other direction.