7 Common Causes of Vertigo
Dizziness can be caused by a whole host of things, but Vertigo has a more narrowed focus. Vertigo is caused by dysfunction in the inner ear. This imbalance in your vestibular system and the link to the brain is what gives you that nauseating feeling of the room spinning.
Your vestibular system is one of your three primary sensory systems for balance. The messages from your vestibular system in your inner ear are sent to your brain to maintain your balance and center of gravity. With vertigo, your brain keeps receiving messages even when you aren’t moving. This along with the disconnect of what you are seeing, sends you spinning.
With vertigo, you may also feel as though you can’t focus your vision, your brain is in a fog when it comes to decisions, or that if you move, you are going to fall over. Some common causes of vertigo include:
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo. Your vestibular system is made up of fluid filled tubes, hair follicles that connect to nerves , and two tiny organs (utricle and saccule) all of these things help tell you which way is up. Unfortunately the two tiny organs can start to degrade and slough off causing little crystals or otoliths to fall into the fluid filled tubes.
These crystals are what cause your hair follices in the tubes to send messages to your brain that make you feel like you are moving, even when you aren’t. The good news is in most cases BPPV can be solved pretty quickly. But just because you aren’t dizzy, doesn’t mean you are done with therapy.
Talk to a vestibular physical therapist about your possible balance deficits following BPPV.
Making the assumption that you can treat your vertigo at home is dangerous because you have no way of predicting where your vertigo is impacting you. And with conversion to another canal, you are making it harder even for the professionals to heal you.
Meniere’s disease
The result of increased fluid in the inner ear, Meniere’s disease has no single known cause.
Typically occurring in only one ear, Meniere’s disease includes vertigo, tinnitus, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Vestibular rehabilitation for Meniere’s Disease is an effective and non-invasive treatment that can have you moving without the groggy feelings that medication can cause.
Menier's disease is usally a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning a healthcare professional will call your dizziness Meniere's disease because nothing is working to cure it. At FYZICAL we have found many cases of Meniere's disease are wrongly diagnosed BPPV simply because the crystals or otoliths are hanging out in the less common canals and not self reducing. Unfortunately many other "vestibular experts" are not properly trained or do not have the technology to diagnose or treat these canals.
At FYZICAL Oklahoma City we use Infrared Video Occulography Goggles (IVOG) technology to make sure we properly diagnose the source of dizziness.
Vestibular neuritis
The result of an infection of the vestibulocochlear nerve, Vestibular neuritis occurs following viral infection of the inner ear.
As with other causes of vertigo, vestibular neuritis is going to lead to dizziness, vomiting, and concentration difficulties. While the dizziness may stop after a few days, it is worth having your balance assessed following vestibular neuritis because of the impact imbalance can have on everyday activities.
Vestibular rehabilitation following vestibular neuritis has helped several of our patients feel back to normal much quicker than if they were left to steroid treatment alone.
Mal de Debarquement
Also called Disembarkment Syndrome, Mal de Debarquement occurs following the continuous motion from a cruise or airplane ride.
Generally, the feeling of movement, swaying, or rocking will resolve in a few days. But when it doesn’t vestibular rehabilitation will focus on retraining the brain to handle being on land.
Migraines
Both visual and vestibular migraines can impact how your brain interprets movement. Frequent migraines may benefit from vestibular therapy and headaches in general have been shown to be responsive to manual therapy techniques.
Stroke
Your stroke impacted your brain, and coordinated movement throughout your body.
Following a stroke, you may have periods of vertigo that come in waves over time. Addressing some of the physical limitations physical therapy can help improve the brain-movement imbalance, but targeted vestibular rehabilitation or balance rehabilitation may be necessary for some patients.
COVID-19 & CoronaVirus
Recently, vertigo has been described as occurring with COVID-19. Although researchers aren’t sure why, we started seeing an increase in vertigo patients who were socially distancing and staying home for extended periods.
Just like not using your muscles means they will shrink, so too does not using your vestibular system. Vestibular rehabilitation can help get you back on track, and physical therapy can help with the effects of COVID on your heart and lungs.
No matter the cause of your vertigo, the physical therapists at FYZICAL Oklahoma City are your experts in vestibular rehabilitation.
FYZICAL… The Place You Go for Vertigo.
-FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City provides vestibular physical therapy in Lakeside, The Village, Nichols Hills and surrounding NW Oklahoma City. Our physical therapists are specially trained to treat all types of vestibular dysfunction including vertigo and BPPV. Our practitioners take a patient-centered individualized approach that focuses on your health needs. If you are unsure about your dizziness, or you want to see the FYZICAL Difference for yourself, schedule a free consultation today.
*When calling for Vertigo evaluation, we will provide flexible scheduling that allows us to get most patients evaluated within one business day.