CLEVELAND — Feeling dizzy or off balance can be a symptom of many health conditions, including vertigo.

What You Need To Know

  • Vestibular vertigo left a Cleveland woman unable to walk steadily

  • Epley Maneuver is a simple treatment for common types of vertigo

  • Inner ear crystals control balance

 A sudden onset of vertigo had Suzie Coker worried about her health but she was surprised to find her condition had a simple treatment.

 “When I was lying down, I noticed the room moving,” Coker said.

She noticed something was off after having gone out to dinner with her husband in late 2023.

“I only had two drinks. I thought, ‘that shouldn’t be happening,’” she said.

She woke up the next morning with similar symptoms.

“It went from being only a problem with lying down or getting up to, later on, a problem during the daytime, just walking around doing regular things,” Coker said.

Her symptoms got worse and kept her from doing things like exercising, bending over or taking care of her cat. She was worried it was something serious.

“I had trouble walking unassisted. Everything was moving. I’d veer off course. I’d have to hold onto things. There were times when I was like do I have a brain tumor?” she said.

Coker was experiencing vestibular vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV.

“It is caused by crystals that have dislodged and gone out into canals,” said Matt Hartzler, physical therapist at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center.

The crystals in our inner ear make us sensitive to gravity and help us keep our balance.

“When the crystal comes out and gets lodged, stuck, free floating.. when you move your head, the crystal moves with it and it disrupts the fluid,” Hartzler said.

What causes them to become dislodged is unknown.

“That can happen spontaneously without a cause. That’s the most frustrating thing for people because they want to know how to prevent it from happening again and it can happen just  randomly,” Hartzler said.

The treatment to cure it is called the Epley Maneuver.

Coker's nurse practitioner was able to perform the maneuver with her. She noticed great improvement the next day and was able to continue treatment with a physical therapist.

She said her condition was resolved with a couple of sessions.