How fast does BPPV go away with treatment?

Often quickly. With guided repositioning maneuvers like the Epley, many BPPV cases improve substantially within one to a few visits — though it varies by person, and BPPV can recur.

Is all dizziness BPPV?

No. BPPV is the most common cause of positional vertigo, but dizziness can also come from vestibular neuritis, Meniere's disease, vestibular migraine, blood pressure, medications, and other causes — some needing a medical workup first. Sorting out which it is is the first thing we do.

What is the Epley maneuver?

A specific sequence of head and body positions that guides displaced inner-ear crystals back where they belong, relieving positional vertigo. We perform it and related maneuvers and teach you what to do at home.

Can vestibular therapy help prevent falls?

Yes. Balance is trainable, and reducing dizziness directly lowers fall risk. For older adults — where falls are the leading cause of injury death (CDC) — vestibular and balance rehab is one of the highest-value things we do.

Will my vertigo come back?

BPPV can recur in some people. We treat the current episode and teach you the home maneuver to manage it if it returns, so you're not starting from scratch.

Is dizziness ever an emergency?

It can be. Dizziness with a sudden severe headache, new weakness or numbness, slurred speech, double vision, chest pain, or fainting needs prompt medical care, not a PT visit. We'll flag anything that doesn't fit a vestibular pattern.

Do I need a referral, and is it covered?

No referral — New Jersey allows direct access, so you can book with Dr. Letizia directly. We accept most major insurance plans and Medicare, and we'll verify your specific coverage before you start.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Rob Letizia, PT, DPT — owner, Spectrum Therapeutics of NJ. Last reviewed 2026-06-17.

Vertigo and BPPV in Wayne, NJ: A Physical Therapist's Guide to Getting Your Balance Back

The short version:

Vertigo and balance disorders are among the most common — and most treatable — problems we see at our Wayne clinic.
The most frequent cause, BPPV, can often be resolved quickly with the right repositioning treatment, yet many people endure it for months.
In Dr. Letizia's clinical experience, the large majority of our vertigo and BPPV patients — roughly 85 to 90% — achieve substantial improvement, on the order of 90%+ better, and most resolve within just a few visits.
For older adults, treating dizziness is also one of the most effective ways to prevent falls — the leading cause of injury-related death among Americans 65 and older (CDC).
These are real-world, clinician-reported outcomes — see "How we measure this" below.

Dizziness is common. Suffering through it shouldn't be.

Vertigo — the false sense that you or the room is spinning — is frightening, exhausting, and surprisingly often fixable. Many of the people we see have spent weeks or months adjusting their lives around it: avoiding bending, sleeping propped up, gripping walls. The good news we deliver again and again is that the most common cause responds quickly to the right hands-on treatment.

What's actually causing your dizziness?

"Dizziness" isn't one diagnosis, and getting the cause right is half the battle. The types we most often evaluate:

BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) — brief, intense spinning triggered by head-position changes (rolling over in bed, looking up, lying back). Caused by displaced inner-ear crystals. The most common cause — and usually the fastest to fix.
Vestibular neuritis / labyrinthitis — sudden, constant vertigo from inner-ear inflammation, often after a virus. Recovery is gradual and responds well to vestibular rehab.
Meniere's disease — episodes of vertigo with hearing changes, ear fullness, or ringing. Managed medically, with PT for the balance component.
Vestibular migraine — dizziness driven by migraine, sometimes without any headache at all. Frequently missed.
Non-vestibular causes — blood pressure, medications, dehydration, or cardiac and neurological issues. These need a medical workup, not PT — and part of our job is recognizing when that's the case and pointing you in the right direction.

BPPV: the fast fix most people don't know about

BPPV happens when tiny calcium crystals (otoconia) in the inner ear come loose and drift into a balance canal where they don't belong, firing off false "you're spinning" signals to the brain. The fix isn't medication — it's mechanical. Using guided repositioning maneuvers like the Epley, we move those crystals back where they belong. It takes minutes, it isn't painful, and the relief can be dramatic — sometimes within a single visit. We'll also teach you what to do if it returns, because BPPV can recur.

What recovery looks like

In our clinical experience, the large majority of our vertigo and BPPV patients — roughly 85 to 90% — achieve substantial improvement, on the order of 90%+ better, and most resolve within just a few visits. Recovery depends on the cause and type of vertigo: not all dizziness is BPPV, and some causes need medical evaluation first. We'll tell you honestly what we think is going on and whether vestibular therapy is the right path.

Vertigo, balance, and falls — why this matters most for older adults

Dizziness and impaired balance are major drivers of falls, and falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults 65 and older in the United States (CDC). The encouraging part: balance is trainable. Vestibular rehabilitation — gaze-stabilization exercises, balance retraining, and habituation work — measurably improves stability and confidence, and reducing dizziness directly lowers fall risk. For an older adult, resolving vertigo isn't only about comfort; it can be about staying independent and out of the hospital.

How we measure this

These figures reflect Dr. Letizia's first-hand clinical experience across our practice — patient-reported recovery over a course of care — not a controlled research trial. We're sharing what we consistently see, described plainly so you know exactly what it is. We're also building structured outcome tracking so we can put hard, audited numbers behind it.

When dizziness needs a doctor first

Vestibular therapy is for inner-ear and balance-related dizziness. Dizziness paired with a sudden severe headache, new weakness or numbness, slurred speech, double vision, chest pain, or fainting is a different situation that warrants prompt medical evaluation — not a PT appointment. When something doesn't fit a vestibular pattern, we say so and help you get to the right provider quickly.

Why one-on-one vestibular care is different

At Spectrum Therapeutics of NJ, Dr. Letizia personally evaluates and treats every patient — the same clinician, every visit. Vestibular care is detective work; it rewards an experienced set of eyes watching exactly how your eyes and balance respond to each test and maneuver. You won't be handed off to an aide or rotated between providers.

About Dr. Letizia

Dr. Rob Letizia, PT, DPT, owns and personally treats every patient at Spectrum Therapeutics of NJ in Wayne — a one-on-one orthopedic, sports, and vestibular practice. He brings 25+ years of clinical experience, fellowship training in manual therapy, and more than 300,000 completed patient visits.

Dizzy, off-balance, or struggling with vertigo? Call (973) 689-7123 or book an evaluation — no referral needed in New Jersey.