What You Need to Know About Vertigo
Vertigo
Vertigo refers to a sensation of spinning dizziness, which can happen when you have a problem with your sensory nerve pathway, brain or ear. The disorder can happen at any age but shows up in a majority of people over the age of 65. It can either be short-term or long-term. If it persists, it will most likely be linked with mental health issues. Vertigo can also lead to anxiety and depression as it affects a person’s ability to function in their daily life. You might feel like the world around you is spinning. Some types of vertigo can be resolved without treatment, but most require that the underlying problem be sorted out first. While drugs may include antiemetics or antihistamines, other people opt for CBD for vertigo treatment.
Causes
In most cases, vertigo is an inner ear problem. Some of the most common causes of vertigo include BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), Meniere’s disease, and labyrinthitis. BPPV can happen when calcium particles, known as canaliths, accumulate in the semicircular canals found within the inner ear. These semicircular canals help you keep your balance by sending impulses to the brain concerning the head and body movements relative to gravity. The canaliths interfere with this process. BPPV happens for no known reason but is usually linked with age.
Meniere’s disease is another inner ear disorder that’s caused by the buildup of fluids in the ear, and changing pressure. It causes periods of vertigo, ringing in the ears, and sometimes hearing loss. Labyrinthitis, also known as vestibular neuritis is an inner ear disorder caused by a viral infection. The infection affects the part of the ear that deals with balance. Other less common causes of vertigo include brain problems such as tumors or stroke, migraine headaches, head or neck injuries, and medications that cause ear damage, among others.
Symptoms
Vertigo is usually triggered when you change the position of your head. Those affected describe the feeling as spinning, swaying, pulled to one direction, and unbalanced. Other symptoms that accompany vertigo include nausea, abnormal or jerking eye movements, sweating, ringing in the ears, and vomiting, among others. The symptoms may come and go and can last for a few moments to several hours.
Treatment
The treatment of the disorder will depend on what is causing it in the first place. As mentioned, it sometimes goes away without treatment, largely due to the fact that your brain is able to adapt to the changes in the inner ear. Available forms of treatment include vestibular rehabilitation where physical therapy is used to help strengthen the vestibular system. The vestibular system is concerned with sending impulses to the brain, which helps in creating a sense of balance in the body. Vestibular rehabilitation is suitable in situations where the patient has recurring bouts of vertigo.
Canalith repositioning maneuvers are a series of specific head-body movements for treating BPPV. These techniques are done to help move the calcium deposits from the semicircular canal chamber so they can be absorbed by the body. The movements are guided by a therapist or doctor, and they are very safe and effective. Medication may also be provided in some cases, to help relieve vertigo symptoms such as motion sickness. If the disease is caused by an ear inflammation, antibiotics may help treat and cure the infection. As a last case scenario, surgery may be required for vertigo if the cause is serious, for instance, a brain tumor.