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Do you frequently feel off balance? Do your symptoms get worse when walking or moving your head?

You may have vertigo. Vertigo is a spinning sensation that can make you feel unbalanced and disoriented.

Fortunately, the good news is that the proper treatment can alleviate your symptoms and improve your balance. Keep reading to learn if you can treat vertigo and how to improve your life if you have the condition!

What is Vertigo?

Vertigo is the sensation that everything around you is spinning when it’s not. You may also feel like you’re spinning or moving when you’re not.

You might feel unsteady, tilted, unbalanced, or swaying with vertigo.

The severity of vertigo can range from mild to severe.

It can last for minutes, hours, or even days. Simple movements are often intense for those with vertigo, and when severe, it can affect your day-to-day life.

These bothersome sensations can worsen when you move your head, stand up, or walk. For some people, the sensations can be quite severe, causing nausea or vomiting.

What are the Symptoms of Vertigo?

You may experience the following symptoms when you have vertigo:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Sweating
  • Ear pain 
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
  • Blurred vision
  • Balance issues
  • Sensitivity to sound or light
  • A feeling of fullness in your ears
  • Tinnitus or ringing in the ears
  • Hearing loss in one or both ears
  • Slurred speech or difficulty talking
  • Nystagmus or fast, uncontrolled eye movements

What are the Causes of Vertigo?

There are two types of vertigo: peripheral and central vertigo.

Peripheral Vertigo

Peripheral vertigo occurs when there’s an issue in the part of the inner ear responsible for balance. Peripheral vertigo can be caused by:

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, happens when canaliths or tiny calcium particles are dislodged from their usual position and collect in the semicircular canal. Canaliths collecting in the semicircular canal of your eye can trigger vertigo episodes, particularly when you change the position of your head.

Labyrinthitis

A viral or bacterial infection in the inner ear or labyrinth can lead to labyrinthitis. The labyrinth is responsible for your sense of balance and hearing.

When you have an inner ear infection, it can affect your balance and hearing, causing symptoms such as vertigo.

Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease is a chronic inner ear disorder caused by changing ear pressure and fluid buildup. It may trigger vertigo episodes, tinnitus, and hearing loss.

Central Vertigo

Central vertigo results from a problem in the brain, often in the brain stem or the cerebellum (back part of the brain). Central vertigo is less common and can be caused by:

  • Stroke
  • Seizures
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Blood vessel disease
  • Cancerous or non-cancerous tumors
  • Certain drugs, such as aspirin, anticonvulsants, and antibiotics

How is Vertigo Treated?

Treatment will depend on what’s causing your vertigo. Many cases of vertigo resolve on their own. For others, treatment is required and may include:

Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers

Also called the Epley maneuver, the canalith repositioning maneuver is used to ease the symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Canalith repositioning involves specific body and head maneuvers that move canalith crystals out of the semicircular canals into the utricle.

The utricle is a sac-like structure in the inner ear. Repositioning the canalith crystals into the utricle stops them from sending false motion signals to your brain and reduces vertigo symptoms.

Once in the utricle, the crystals don’t cause vertigo. They’re likely to be reabsorbed by the body or dissolve.

Your ENT specialist at Southern Indiana ENT will take you through the maneuvers during an in-office visit. They can also offer additional guidance on performing these maneuvers at home.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy

Vestibular rehabilitation is a type of physical therapy that can strengthen the vestibular system. The vestibular system helps you maintain balance.

Your ENT specialist may recommend vestibular rehabilitation if you have frequent vertigo attacks. The therapy involves balance, head, and eye exercises to improve vertigo symptoms such as balance issues, dizziness, and unstable vision.

Once you’re taught these exercises, you can do them independently to relieve your symptoms whenever you have a vertigo episode.

Medication

If vertigo is caused by inflammation or infection, steroids or antibiotics can decrease swelling and clear the infection. For Meniere’s disease, your ENT specialist may prescribe diuretics to reduce pressure from fluid buildup.

Your ENT specialist can also prescribe medications to alleviate vertigo symptoms such as motion sickness.

Surgery

While rare, you may need surgery when the cause of vertigo is a serious health issue, such as a brainstem injury or tumor.

Home Remedies and Lifestyle Changes

Some lifestyle changes and home remedies can help relieve your vertigo symptoms, including:

  • Staying hydrated throughout the day
  • Avoiding reading until symptoms subside 
  • Switching on the lights if you get up at night
  • Sleeping with your head raised on two pillows
  • Sitting or lying down immediately you feel dizzy
  • Using a walking stick if you feel like you might fall
  • Lying in a quiet, dark room to decrease the spinning sensation
  • Squatting down instead of bending when picking things up
  • Limiting alcohol, caffeine, and salt intake if you have Meniere’s disease
  • Quitting smoking as it can irritate the Eustachian tubes, which equalize pressure in your ears
  • Resting your eyes and steering clear of bright lights, including TV, during a vertigo episode
  • Avoiding things that cause sinus congestion as this may upset the fluid balance in your ear
  • Moving slowly when performing triggering movements, such as turning your head and standing up

Get Relief from Vertigo

If you’re experiencing vertigo symptoms, the ENT specialists at Southern Indiana ENT can help you. We’ll determine the underlying cause of your symptoms and provide a personalized treatment plan to bring lasting relief.

Do you suspect you have vertigo? Schedule your appointment today at Southern Indiana ENT in Columbus, Seymour, Franklin, and Greenwood, IN, to take the first step towards feeling better.