What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is the feeling of motion when there aren’t external factors that would contribute to feelings of instability, such as being on an amusement park ride. While it might feel similar to motion sickness, where a person feels ill and dizzy because their brain is having difficulties processing the dissonance between the movement they feel with the stationary body position, vertigo is slightly different. When a person feels vertigo, both their body and the physical environment is stationary.
Vertigo arises from a physical condition, most often in the ear, which causes a person to have difficulties maintaining equilibrium. It’s also a common complaint, with about 200,000 cases in the U.S. per year. It can last for several months or even years, but it also often clears up in a couple of days. It more commonly affects adults than children because some types of disorders are more common in people who are at least young adults. For instance, Ménière’s Disease most commonly affects people who are young adults to middle aged adults.
Some of the causes of this sensation can vary, including head trauma, ear infections, the use of antidepressant and antipsychotic medications, and other factors that can affect the semicircular canals in the ears. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most common reason that people experience these sensations. Diabetes, osteoporosis, and head injuries can increase the likelihood that a person will experience BPPV.
Vestibular Neuritis, which is an inflammation of the vestibular nerve inside the ear, can also cause the sensation of movement even when the person is still. In fact, there are many disorders and diseases that can cause feelings of movement when the person and their environment are actually stationary.
Symptoms of Vertigo
Vertigo can have several symptoms, depending on the reason for the vertigo. Headache, sweating, abnormal eye movements and double vision, nausea, and vomiting are some of the most common symptoms. Some people might also have difficulties concentrating because of the feelings of nausea, sweating, and other uncomfortable experiences. There are even people who will experience changes in heart rate and blood pressure. It can also be associated with fever if the feelings of motion are caused by an infection in the ear or a virus in the body.
Vertigo is usually a symptom of another disorder, so many people who experience vertigo will have other symptoms that are associated with the disease or disorder that’s causing false feelings of movement. For instance, people with Labyrinthitis will often experience a range of symptoms, including a sensation of moving when actually still.
People with labyrinthitis or Ménière’s Disease often get tinnitus, which is hearing sounds when there isn’t any noise from the environment. Thumping, ringing, or whooshing sounds are some of the most common experiences of sound that people suffering from this condition experience. The perception of sound might be soft or loud, and the pitch might be high or low. There are two types of tinnitus: subjective and objective. Subjective is a type in which only the person suffering from the sounds can hear, and objective is a type that the doctor can observe when examining the patient.
Treatment for Vertigo
The treatment for these sensations can vary because the causes of vertigo can be different for each patient. Vertigo is one of the symptoms of other disorders, and sometimes healthcare providers have to treat the underlying causes of vertigo.
Labyrinthitis is when the inner ear becomes inflamed, which is common when a person has the flu. Since some of the common causes of this disorder is usually either a virus or infection, some form of medication, such as an antiviral agent or antibiotic, will be prescribed by the doctor.
Ménière’s Disease, which is a disease of the inner ear, is another common cause of vertigo. It’s incurable, but there are several forms of treatment that can be used to reduce the symptoms. For instance, a patient might be told to eat fewer salty foods to reduce water retention in the ear. A doctor might also prescribe motion sickness pills. In the same cases, a vestibular nerve section might reduce vertigo while also maintaining the hearing for some patients.
There are also exercises that people suffering from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can do to lessen their symptoms. For instance, a healthcare provider might choose to have their patient use the Epley maneuver to lessen symptoms that last for only a minute or two. In this maneuver, the person suffering from the symptoms will adjust the angle of their head.
