Understanding Vertigo – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Have you experienced lightheadedness and balance problems? Did you feel like the environment around you swivels due to that spinning dizziness? Did this happen when you looked down from a very high elevation? This could already be vertigo.

Vertigo is a perception of being off balance. It is any nonpermanent or progressing intervals of dizziness occurring due to problems in one’s brain, inner ear, or sensory nerve pathway. It is a symptom of the latitude of conditions and not an illness. Although common in people at the age of 65 years old and above, vertigo can happen at any age. 

Causes 

Usually, vertigo is caused by a problem in the inner ear, including Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) which happens when small particles of calcium called canaliths are displaced from where they are normally located and pile up in the inner ear. It is the inner ear that communicates to the brain regarding movements of the head and body in relation to gravity which helps in maintaining balance. BPPV may be linked with age and can come about for unknown reasons. 

Labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis also causes vertigo. This is another inner ear problem mostly associated with viral infection causing the inner ear inflammation around nerves that are crucial in keeping balance. 

Another cause of vertigo is Meniere’s disease, which is an inner ear disorder believed to be brought about by changing pressure and accumulation of fluid in the ear. Aside from generating spells of vertigo, Meniere’s disease will also cause hearing loss and tinnitus or ringing in the ears. According to estimates, around 615,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with having Ménière’s disease today, and around 45,500 new cases are being diagnosed annually. 

Although not as often as the above-stated causes, vertigo can also be linked to stroke or tumour and other brain problems,  neck and head injury, specific ear damage-causing medications, and migraine headaches. It is commonly triggered by changes in head position. 

Symptoms

As for its symptoms, most people describe vertigo as a feeling in which they seem swaying, spinning, unbalanced, tilting, or pulled to a specific direction. These feelings may also be accompanied by vomiting, nausea, nystagmus or the abnormal or jerking eye movements, sweating, headache, ringing in the ears, or loss of hearing. These symptoms, which may come and go, can last for a few minutes up to a few hours or more. 

Treatments

There are home remedies that individuals can take to help resolve vertigo and manage its effects. There are also lifestyle changes that can be done for the said purpose. These include sitting down when vertigo starts to appear or lying still in a dark and quiet room especially if the spinning is too intense. Instead of bending over, one should squat to pick up something, and spend more time performing symptoms-triggering movements like looking upward, turning the head, or getting up. One can also use a cane, if necessary, when walking, and sleep using two or more pillows for the head to be elevated. 

You can also try herbal remedies to alleviate the symptoms although clinical trials are still currently underway to validate its efficacy. These include turmeric, ginger root, cayenne, Ginkgo Biloba, and gongjin-dan. 30 minutes of acupuncture can also help reduce the symptoms based on a 2015 study. 

Since vertigo is caused by varying reasons, its treatment will also depend on such a specific cause.  Although, there are many cases wherein vertigo just fades away even without treatment. Accordingly, this happens since the brain is highly adaptable, at least partly, to the changes in the inner ear. It has other mechanisms to rely on for maintaining balance. Others, however, need treatment.

Treatments for vertigo may include a kind of physical therapy known as vestibular rehabilitation. This intends to strengthen the vestibular system whose role is on sending signals to your brain regarding movements of head and body in relation to gravity. 

A person may also ask a doctor for the treatment of an underlying problem in which the doctor may prescribe, for instance, antiviral drugs for shingles or antibiotics for bacterial infections. A doctor may likewise prescribe drugs intended for individuals with Ménière’s disease, which may include:  lorazepam, meclizine, or glycopyrrolate. These may relieve dizziness caused by this disease.  

You can also try diuretic therapy and reduce sodium intake to lessen your fluid levels. Another option is to try pressure pulse treatment where a device will be fitted to the ear,  or be injected with corticosteroids or antibiotics into the middle ear. Avoiding chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, and smoking tobacco can also help.

There are also available medications for the relief of specific symptoms. Anti-emetics and antihistamines are among these drugs that could help lessen your nausea and motion sickness. Antihistamines are over-the-counter drugs that can also be purchased online. 

Surgery, which may be appropriate for BPPV, can be performed if other treatments are ineffective.  
People should see their doctor or visit a virtual walk-in clinic Calgary if vertigo starts suddenly or gets worse. This may indicate the need for a treatment for an underlying condition. Your doctor will perform a physical examination, ask questions, take your medical history, and carry out simple tests to find out what is causing the dizziness. This will all help in making you feel better in no time.