Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) After Concussion in Two Adolescent Players During a Rugby Game

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a medical condition where patients develop symptoms of vertigo, “room spinning,” associated with nausea and vomiting. BPPV is believed to be caused by a disturbance in the inner ear vestibular system. Trauma has been recognized as one of the risk factors for this condition. BPPV can be easily diagnosed and treated by bedside maneuvers. Due to a lack of awareness among some treating clinicians, patients may have to wait for a long time before the correct management is offered. We share two cases of BPPV in 15- and 16-year-old male school students who developed posterior canal BPPV following a head injury during a rugby game. Both patients continue to have vertigo symptoms for several weeks before the final diagnosis. BPPV symptoms completely resolved following the Epley maneuver. Frontline clinicians need to diagnose and treat BPPV early to prevent the persistence of these debilitating symptoms. As far as we are aware, no previous study has published the occurrence of BPPV in young adolescent rugby players.