Vertigo is a sensation of the environment around you moving or spinning. The feeling varies from mild, where it is not noticeable, to severe, where you can find yourself unable to balance or do daily activities. It can also affect your senses. You can have the sensation for a few seconds, or it can last for several days making normal working difficult. Inner ear problem is the leading cause of Greater New Orleans vertigo. A visit to your specialist will help diagnose your cause of vertigo.
Table of Contents
Causes
The most common causes of vertigo are:
· Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). It is the leading cause of vertigo and occurs when tiny calcium particles dislocate from their usual location and assemble in the inner ear. The interference of the inner ear disrupts signals to your brain about head and body movements hence affecting your balance. In this case, you experience vertigo when lying down, sitting, or turning over in bed. A rapid head movement triggers vertigo attacks.
· Meniere’s disease. Meniere’s disease causes fluid buildup in your ear leading to vertigo spells. You can experience ringing in the ears, gradual hearing loss, or feeling fullness in the ears.
· Cholesteatoma. It is a condition where noncancerous skin growth develops in the middle of your ear due to recurring ear infections. Cholesteatoma causes dizziness, vertigo, and hearing loss.
· Labyrinthitis. Labyrinthitis occurs when you have an infection in the inner ear labyrinth causing inflammation. The condition affects the working of the vestibulocochlear nerve, which sends information to your brain, affecting head motion, position, and sound. You experience headaches, pain in the ear, vision changes, or hearing loss in this condition.
· Vestibular neuritis. Vestibular neuritis is the inflammation of a vestibular nerve. It is similar to labyrinthitis, but it does not affect your hearing. Accompanying symptoms are blurred vision, severe nausea, and imbalance.
Other causes of vertigo include migraine headaches, stroke, diabetes, head injuries, brain tumor, prolonged bed rest, syphilis, multiple sclerosis, ear surgery, low blood pressure, and certain medications that can damage your ear.
Symptoms
Symptoms of vertigo vary from mild to severe, depending on the cause of the disease. The symptoms include:
Ringing in your ears, headaches, balance problems, difficulties in eye movement, nausea, motion sickness, hearing loss, and weak limbs.
Treatment
Vestibular rehabilitation. The vestibular system’s function is to send signals to the brain about head and body motion. Vestibular rehabilitation aims at strengthening your vestibular system. This type of physical therapy trains your other senses to compensate for vertigo.
Canalith repositioning maneuvers. Doctors use it in BPPV, where the particular head and body movements are incurred. It involves moving calcium deposits out of the canal to your inner ear chamber, enhancing absorption by the body.
Medication
A specialist can give you medication to relieve nausea and motion sickness. You can use steroids or antibiotics to cure infections or reduce inflammation. In Meniere’s disease, doctors prescribe diuretics to reduce pressure from fluid buildup.
Surgery
Surgery may be needed in severe cases causing vertigo such as tumors or brain injury.
You will not sit at home with the unsettling feeling of spinning when you move your head. Schedule an appointment with the ENT of New Orleans to get treatment and learn more about vertigo.