The modified Semont maneuver is illustrated for
left posterior canalithiasis:
- The seated patient begins by turning the head 45° to the right.
- The patient then quickly drops the trunk to the left side (1) with the head turned 45° to the right. This position is held for at least 30 seconds or until any provoked vertigo subsides.
- The patient then quickly sits up and lies down on the right side without stopping in the upright position (2), all the while keeping the head turned 45° to the right so that the head now faces partly down into the bed. This position is held for 30 seconds or until vertigo subsides.
- Then patient returns to the upright position (3).
- This maneuver is repeated three times a day until the patient is asymptomatic.
For right posterior canalithiasis, the maneuver must be performed in the opposite direction, starting with the head turned toward the left.
Modified from Radtke, A, von Brevern, M, Tiel-Wilck, K, et al. Self- treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Neurology 2004; 63:150.
