Vertigo - Medtick
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Vertigo

What is it?

This is when one feels their body and/or environment is spinning, many conditions can cause vertigo.

They are divided into two types:

Vertigo may last only a few seconds or last for weeks or months.

Epley Maneuver

Cause

  • Suddenly when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed (change in the position of your head)
  • Movement of Otolith crystals in the ear [made of gelatinous matrix and calcium carbonate in the viscous fluid of the saccule and utricle, The inertia (movement)  of these small particles causes them to stimulate hair cells when the head moves]
  • Disorder of the inner ear
  • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
  • Acute (vestibular)  labyrinthitis – hot and red and swelling of parts of the ear that help with balance normally caused by an infection
  • labyrinthitis – a condition where one of the vestibular nerves in the ear becomes inflamed
  • Ear infection
  • Chiari malformations
  • Cold sores and other signs of previous viral illness may indicate vestibular neuritis (condition that affects the vestibular nerve, which connects the inner ear to the brain, causing prolonged vertigo usually in the absence of significant hearing loss).
  • Ménière’s disease
  • Brain disease and/or Brain cancers
  • Problem in the back part of the brain (cerebellum)
    • Trauma
    • Lack of oxygen due to poor blood flow to brain areas
    • Bleeding in the brain
    • CNS tumours
    • CNS infection
  • Neurological disorders i.e. Multiple sclerosis
  • Camurati-Engelmann disease
  • Fabry disease
  • Syringobulbia (loss of feelings of pain and temperature in the face, muscle contraction of tongue)
  • Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease

Syndromes

Vitamins, herbals and minerals

Symptoms

  • Loss of sound and balance (attacks) which come and go and last 20 minutes to normally a few hours to 24 hours?
  • Attacks are unpredictable?
  • Feels like room is spinning or like you are spinning in the room?
  • Balance and dizziness?
  • Sickness or nausea feeling?
  • Abdominal pain and/or are constant violently vomiting or vomiting longer than two days (one day if a child)?
  • Sensitivity to every day noise and/or ringing noise within and/or difficulty hearing?
  • Ringing in one or both ears (tinnitus)?
  • Becoming deaf?
  • Nystagmus (Rapid, uncontrolled eye movement)?

Tinnitus symptoms

  • Sensitive to normal every day sounds (hyperacusis)?
  • Normal volume sounds exceptionally loud?
  • Hear continuously or sometimes hissing, buzzing, whistling noises, or a musical tone from ‘nowhere’ or beats in time with pulse (pulsatile tinnitus)?
  • Notice sounds more when quiet environments or tired?
  • Affect your everyday life routine?
  • Hearing loss?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Do not wait, call for an ambulance if have or develop:

  • Severe headache with vomiting
  • Double vision or loss of vision
  • Hearing loss
  • Trouble speaking
  • Leg or arm weakness
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Falling or difficulty walking
  • Numbness or tingling

General tips

Do:

  • Lie still in a quiet, dark room to reduce the spinning feeling
  • Move your head carefully and slowly during daily activities
  • Sit down straight away when you feel dizzy
  • Turn on the lights if you get up at night
  • Use a walking stick if you’re at risk of falling
  • Sleep with your head slightly raised on 2 or more pillows
  • Get out of bed slowly and sit on the edge of the bed for a while before standing up
  • Try to relax – anxiety/stress can make vertigo worse

Don’t

  • Do not bend over to pick things up – squat to lower yourself instead
  • Do not stretch your neck – for example, while reaching up to a high shelf

NHS Choices

Driving Authority

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Vertigo in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

Diet, Exercise and Body Manipulations

Exercises to help in vertigo

  • Brandt-Daroff Exercise

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