Do I Have to Live with Vertigo?

Do you suffer from the sensation of being dizzy, having difficulty maintaining balance, or feeling like you or the room are spinning? It can happen occasionally, or it can become chronic and interfere with your daily life. Fortunately, there is treatment that can help you. Here are some of the signs that you may have vertigo.

Symptoms of Vertigo
This disorder often starts when you change the position of your head. It may feel as though you, the room, or both are tilting, spinning, swaying, or generally unbalanced. You may also experience:

Sweating
Headache
Nystagmus (jerky or unusual eye movements)
Tinnitus (ringing in ears)

Most often, this condition is caused when your vestibular (inner ear) system is damaged. The vestibular system is made up of fluid filled tubes, nerves and chambers, and its job is to send signals to your brain to help you maintain balance.

Common Causes of Vertigo

Ménière's disease
This is an inner ear disorder that causes episodes of vertigo. It may be due to fluid buildup in the ear, which can also cause hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in ears), and sometimes a feeling of pressure or fullness in the ear.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Tiny calcium deposits are normally embedded in gel in the utricle. When the crystals that help to monitor movements in your head become dislodged and move into the canals, you feel dizzy. Known as "benign paroxysmal positional vertigo," BPPV is often associated with age.

Vestibular neuritis
This occurs when the inner ear becomes inflamed. It can happen for many reasons, such as reactions to medications, stress, an allergy, or a bacterial or viral infection.

Less Common Causes of Vertigo Include:

Migraine headaches
Head or neck injuries
Medication side effects

Treating Vertigo
If you've suffered this or other balance disorders, see an ENT (ear nose and throat) specialist right away. He or she can diagnose and determine whether it can go away on its own or if treatment is needed. The following are some common treatments for vertigo:

Vestibular rehabilitation
Vestibular rehabilitation is physical therapy that will strengthen your vestibular system and train your brain and other senses to compensate for the vertigo, so that symptoms are less severe.
Canalith repositioning movements for BPPV
If you have BPPV, a series of repositioning movements can move the calcium deposits out of the ear canal and back into their proper location.
Medication
Your doctor can prescribe medications to relieve symptoms like nausea or motion sickness. Diuretics can often relieve pressure from fluid buildup, and infections or inflammation may be cleared with antibiotics or steroids. Another option is an inner ear perfusion with steroids or gentamicin.

If you are suffering from vertigo, contact the Silverstein Institute today and start your journey to wellness.