Vertigo and Balance Problems | Ear Specialist Dr Rebecca Heywood

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Vertigo and Balance Problems

What is Vertigo?

Vertigo can be a very frightening symptom. The term vertigo means different things to different people and is a symptom in a wide range of disorders. Vertigo describes a sensation of oneself or the surroundings moving, spinning or tumbling. ‘Giddiness’ or ‘dizziness’ are terms which encompass a whole range of sensations. Patients may describe a sense of floating, imbalance, unsteadiness, lightheadedness, instability or motion sickness.

What causes Vertigo?

There are a few conditions of the ear and balance system that commonly cause vertigo:

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a very common condition where specific head movements can cause dizziness, for example, turning over in bed. This can be effectively treated with the Epley Manoeuvre and other particle repositioning manoeuvres in most cases.

Vestibular neuronitis and labyrinthitis are similar conditions caused by inflammation or infection of the vestibular (balance) nerve and inner ear respectively. Labyrinthitis may cause hearing loss and tinnitus as well as balance symptoms.

Vestibular migraine is a variant of migraine headache that causes vertigo, imbalance and motion sensitivity. The balance symptoms may occur without a headache.

Other causes of vertigo:

Meniere’s disease is an inner ear condition that causes bouts of vertigo, pressure or fullness, tinnitus and hearing loss in the affected ear
Superior semicircular canal dehiscence

Other balance symptoms can also be caused by conditions related to blood pressure, the neck, the brain (including a stroke), medications and general wear and tear associated with ageing.

How is Vertigo treated?

Just as the symptom has multiple different possible causes, so there are different treatment choices depending on the patient’s case history, ranging from balance exercises and medication to surgery.