University of Colorado Hospital researchers are looking for 100 dizzy people.
The researchers are trying to develop an easy, do-it-yourself exercise that someone suffering from vertigo can employ at home to get rid of the disabling condition.
Vertigo – dizziness – is one of the most common symptoms, along with back pain and headaches, that send people to the doctor’s office, according to a study by researchers at the Cleveland Hearing and Balance Center.
About 40 percent of people older than 40 experience the dizziness and imbalance of vertigo, the study said.
Most vertigo cases are caused by calcium crystals in the middle ear being shaken loose and banging into motion sensors, said Carol Foster, an associate professor at the CU medical school.
The crystals will naturally settle, but that can sometimes take months, Foster said.
A doctor can manipulate a patient’s head and body so the crystals settle.
It’s been harder for an individual to do that.
“You have to rotate your entire head and body,” said Foster, the study’s principal.
“You have to get your head at a 45 degree angle,” she said, “but if the room is spinning, it’s hard to figure out where 45 degrees is.”
The calcium crystals usually help establish which way is “down,” she said.
As people age, the crystals break down into fragments and the natural adhesive holding them in place gets “less sticky,” Foster said.
The CU researchers are experimenting with two exercise positions, one with patients laying down and another with patients upright.
The 100 test subjects will be split into two groups, each using a different exercise.
“What we are trying to do is find something that is easy to do with a high rate of success,” Foster said. “Something that works for everyone.”
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
