When self-massage causes Vertigo

Have you ever used a personal massage gun to relieve muscle tension?

You might want to think twice about this, as a recent study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery highlights an unexpected consequence: vertigo.

The study is centered around two fairly young women who experienced sudden and severe vertigo. As such, it’s closer to two case studies than to a proper clinical trial, but the researchers still thought it was important enough to write up.

The two cases were discovered by a team of doctors from Tel Aviv University and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The first woman, a 31-year-old, developed vertigo after using a handheld massage gun on her neck and shoulders. A thorough examination revealed she had a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) on her right side.

This type of vertigo happens when tiny calcium particles in your inner ear canal get dislodged and cause false balance signals to be sent to your brain. It is the most common cause of vertigo, with 3.2% of people struggling with it.

The second case involved a 48-year-old woman who had been dealing with recurring BPPV. Despite undergoing various treatments, her symptoms kept coming back. During a detailed re-evaluation, she mentioned regularly using a massage gun around her upper neck. After she stopped using it, her vertigo disappeared.

To understand what was happening, both women underwent extensive tests. These included assessments of their balance and coordination, like walking tests, head-shaking tests, and the Dix-Hallpike maneuver, which involves moving the head in specific ways to trigger symptoms. In both cases, the tests confirmed BPPV.

After treatment for their condition, the symptoms disappeared and did not reappear after they gave up the use of massage guns.

BPPV usually happens as a result of head knocks that are severe enough to dislodge calcium crystals from our inner ear canals. However, this study suggests that less severe vibrations, like those from a massage gun, can also cause these crystals to shift.

Massage guns deliver powerful vibrations, much more intense than traditional massage tools. They can produce up to 32 kilograms of pressure and 5,000 strokes per minute. When used on the head and neck, this force might dislodge these crystals, especially in people already vulnerable to BPPV, such as those with deficiencies of calcium and vitamin D.

If you use a massage gun, especially around your neck and shoulders, you must remember these findings and use caution. If you haven’t experienced any vertigo, you probably don’t have anything to worry about.

However, if you mysteriously battle with vertigo from time to time, it’s a good idea to ditch the massage gun and see if your symptoms disappear.

Now, if a massage gun isn’t causing your vertigo, you’ll be happy to learn simple home exercises, explained here, that eliminate all types of vertigo in days (sometimes minutes)…