Logan Hospital patients are somersaulting their way to better health, with the introduction of a new machine built to combat vertigo.
The Multiaxial Rotational (TRV) Chair is the only one in Queensland and treats vertigo caused by dysfunction in the inner ear.
The 700kg high-tech chair has helped treat 80 patients so far this year.
Prior to the arrival of the chair at Logan Hospital, Queenslanders had to travel to Sydney or Melbourne to access treatment for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
Advanced vestibular physiotherapist Ethan Marrinan said about 80,000 Queenslanders suffered from BPPV, often with significant enough symptoms to present to hospital.
“There are around 20,000 presentations to Queensland Health emergency departments each year for dizziness and a significant number of these are because of BPPV,” he said.
Kingston resident Michael Ferrito, 73, was diagnosed with BPPV five years ago and started treatment in the TRV Chair earlier this year.
“I have suffered from motion sickness since I was a kid, I didn’t take it seriously until five years ago when I got up off the couch and the room just started spinning and it didn’t stop,” he said.
“I began vomiting and couldn’t walk at all, they thought it was a heart attack or stroke and I was taken to hospital.”
Mr Marrinan said symptoms of BPPV can include spinning vertigo, nausea, vomiting and ‘jumping vision’ as well as causing falls.
“Patients experience these symptoms every time they move their head so unfortunately often restrict themselves significantly and report similar quality of life scores as those living with macular degeneration and HIV/AIDS,” he said.
“This means that they see BPPV as a condition that significantly interrupts their lives and is a health problem that affects them daily.
“The chair operates as a mechanical diagnostic and repositioning device that manoeuvres patients into the ideal therapeutic position to treat BPPV, including a full 360-degree backwards somersault.”
While some describe the movement of the chair as like being on a roller coaster, Mr Ferrito said it’s almost “like space travel.”
“It’s very different to the initial treatments I received, of just lying on the bed and moving my head, but I feel a lot better after it,” he said.
“It’s not a cure, but it makes me feel better and I hope others can feel the same.”
