UKC

Not sure where to post this!

I have BPPV https://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/your-visit/patient-information-leaflets/un... which means I can have instantaneous dizzy fits lasting a second or two at most.

Does anyone here suffer from this and still climb? If so, how do you ameliorate the symptoms?

In reply to Gordonbp: I have had it.  Unfortunately came upon me on day 2 of a holiday in Whistler.  After I’d realised I wasn’t about to cark it imminently or fall off the planet, I worked out exactly which movements set it off and set about doing a thing called the Bradt- Daroff exercises to convince my brain that there was no need to be dizzy.  

Really horrible, nausea and cold-sweat inducing but repeatedly bringing on the whirlies and allowing them to settle in a safe environment did lessen them fairly quickly.

Good luck.

In reply to Gordonbp:

Had concussion from a bad fall and suffered from the same symptoms for a couple of months. Regular bouldering indoors with climbing down, no falls, and not pushing myself was a life saver. It really helped with the brain body connection that seemed to be lacking and that sitting around waiting for it to stop never helped.

good luck!

In reply to Gordonbp:

Gosh I almost made this post. Thank you for doing so! 

I seem to have some degree of BPPV as part of post-concussion syndrome (alongside quite a lot of other anti-climbing symptoms). I actually went to the crag this weekend, had a lightning bolt moment realising it was vertigo that was making climbing so difficult, and wondered if my career was over. In hindsight it feels a lot like when I've tried to climb when a vestibular migraine was coming on in the past (there are plenty of other times I'm shitting kittens, but I don't feel like I'm actually falling away from the wall).

I am under a vestibular physio who does various exercises that are supposed to help with BPPV. If you're not under one, find a good one. It hasn't helped for me yet but it's early days and I also have some other stuff (POTS, an eye tracking issue, and another type that seems to come on when I look at visual noise like busy rushing water) so hard to tell what's what.

Regardless, the vertigo is still there when climbing... I think from the act of looking up, and feeling like I'm leaning backwards. Few things that seem to have helped a tiny bit so far: realising it's not always the same every day, and fatigue seems to worsen it; probably doesn't change the vertigo, but being relaxed and calm makes it easier to think through (so don't get stressed out or knackered out with a difficult walk in to the crag, and have breaks); and like the other poster said, I started off with extremely simple bouldering indoors first - literally just traversing low down with lots of breaks and trying to remind myself to breathe. Also the obvious - less overhung routes!

I'm only top roping at present (lead and lead belay feel too dangerous with my symptoms) but I am really hoping it might improve with time. I don't know the prognosis for non-concussive BPPV I'm afraid but I'm sure a physio can at least try to advise you.

Let us know how you get on; I definitely feel your pain.

In reply to Gordonbp:

I have had BPPV as a post-viral symptom several times (most recently following a bout of Covid last year.)

It makes climbing difficult, as the action of moving the head from looking down at the feet  to looking up at the hands is just what can bring on a dizzy spell.  I have generally just seconded/tope-roped while affected.

I find the Epley Manoevre very helpful, and generally perform it a couple of times before climbing if going through a phase of BPPV.  You can do it at home, following instructions from various online sources for example:

https://www.nhstaysidecdn.scot.nhs.uk/NHSTaysideWeb/idcplg?IdcService=GET_S...

Yours may be different if it's due to another cause, but in all cases I find that the symptoms disappear completely after a few weeks.