It’s that time a year for the annual trip to the Christmas tree lot. Last week I went with my family to find the perfect tree. We walked around and around each tree, trying to find the one that looked just right. We were tipping our head back to look at the top of the tree, and then looking down to examine the bottom of the tree, searching for the perfect shape and height… We looked at so many trees! When we got home, we had to tip our heads back when we reached overhead to pull the tree off the roof of the SUV. Then we carried the bulky, heavy, awkward tree into the house. Once the tree was set up, which was tricky on it’s own, we climbed up and down ladders putting the star on top, not to mention the lights and the ornaments! Then I had to get down on my hands and knees and crawl under the tree to pour a pitcher of water in the container for the tree to drink.
I couldn’t help but think of my balance therapy patients in Sarasota, Florida, and of my patients with positional vertigo (BPPV). I was praying that they weren’t doing the same thing I was doing, and that I wouldn’t come in to work on Monday morning to find out that someone had fallen and gotten hurt.
Can you imagine doing all these things if you had vertigo? When a person has Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), bending the head down, or tipping the head back, can trigger a vertigo spell. It goes without saying, that if you are standing on a ladder and reaching overhead to hang something on a tree, you definitely don’t want the world to spin!
So this is a tip for those with holiday cheer and vertigo, let someone else do the ladders, and the reaching overhead and bending over! If you have positional vertigo, aim for the ornaments in the middle of the tree where you can keep your head level. This way you won’t have to worry about triggering the vertigo, and potentially falling and getting hurt during the holiday session. Or, if you live alone, you could get a smaller tree this year that is 3 feet tall, and place it on a small table so that you can decorate it without having to tip you head back or bend over too much…
And also, for those of you with balance problems and BPPV, give yourself the present you deserve, and go and see a trained vestibular specialist and get treated for your problem, so that you can enjoy all the festivities that this time of year brings, but without the vertigo or imbalance! That would be the best present of all!
