Otoliths usually heal in a few days

  Patients with otolithiasis will have their symptoms disappear after the otoliths return to their original position. The exact recovery time depends on the treatment and efficacy, and cannot be generalized.  Otolithiasis, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, is caused when the otoliths attached to the otolithic membrane are dislodged and flow within the endolymphatic fluid, stimulating the hair cells of the semicircular canal and causing vertigo symptoms. The vertigo is relieved when the otolith does not irritate the semicircular canal hair cells. Therefore, the common treatment for otoliths is repositioning treatment, where the doctor can give different treatment plans according to the characteristics of the patient’s vertigo by changing the patient’s position so that the otoliths no longer stimulate the nerve endings. This method is effective immediately for most patients, but in a very small number of patients, the repositioning treatment is not effective and the vertigo symptoms may last for a longer period of time.  Patients with otoliths can try to change their own position to reduce their symptoms when they experience vertigo in their daily life.