YouTube becomes a tool to help ease vertigo symptoms

YouTube videos may be helping vertigo sufferers with finding a cure, says study.

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that YouTube videos teaching a maneuver to cure a certain form of vertigo was often as helpful and accurate as going to a doctor.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is an inner ear disorder that causes dizziness due to free-floating calcium particles trapped in the inner ear.

Curing it requires a special technique called the Epley maneuver in which the patient rolls their head and body while laying down, reported HealthDay.

According to Medical Xpress, the study reviewed 3000 YouTube videos on relieving vertigo with 33 concerning the Epley maneuver.

The doctors found that 64 percent taught the move correctly and could be useful for those with the problem.

"This type of vertigo can be treated easily and quickly with a simple maneuver called the Epley maneuver, but too often, the maneuver isn't used," said study author Kevin Kerber of the University of Michigan Health System, according to MyHealthNewsDaily.

"It was good to see that the video with the most hits was the one developed by the American Academy of Neurology when it published its guideline recommending the use of the Epley maneuver in 2008 and then posted on YouTube by a lay person."

BPPV is somewhat common, particularly in people with a family history of it or a head injury and causes intense, spinning sensations.

The study was published in the journal Neurology.