Vertigo and dizziness are two different symptoms. Vertigo is the feeling that the room is spinning, while dizziness is a lightheaded or loss of balance type sensations. Neither are pleasant, and can leave you feeling extremely nauseous.
Dizziness, lightheadedness, loss of balance and vertigo are very common complaints. Common causes for vertigo or dizziness:
- stroke
- anemia
- migraines
- neuropathy
- dehydration
- ear infection
- constipation
- osteoarthritis
- hypoglycemia
- heart murmur
- viral infection
- arteriosclerosis
- motion sickness
- balance disorder
- brain stem tumor
- vascular disorder
- multiple sclerosis
- bacterial infection
- sick sinus syndrome
- brain tumor, disorder
- getting up too quickly
- stress, tension, fatigue
- medications ~ ototoxins
- pulmonary hypertension
- blood circulation disorder
- carbon monoxide poisoning
- head/neck injury ~ whiplash
- autoimmune inner ear disease
- sudden drop in blood pressure
- eye muscle imbalance/arthritis
- cataracts/new vision correction
- acoustic neuroma ~ benign tumor
- anxiety attacks ~ hyperventilation
- degeneration of inner ear hair cells ~ aging
Some of the more common balance disorders are:
- Vestibular neuronitis ~ infection of the vestibular nerve, typically viral
- Ménière’s disease ~ inner ear fluid balance disorder that causes episodes of vertigo
- Perilymph fistula ~ inner ear fluid leakage, usually after head injury, physical exertion
- Labyrinthitis ~ infection/inflammation of the inner ear causing dizziness and loss of balance
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) ~ brief, intense sensation of vertigo that occurs because of a specific positional change of your head, may be caused by an inner ear infection, head injury, aging
Treatment remedies for your dizziness or vertigo depends largely on its underlining cause. And for this determination a doctor’s visit is prudent. Treatment recommendations as a result may include:
- dietary sodium reduction
- caffeine, nicotine avoidance
- reduce alcohol consumption
- talk therapy, physical rehabilitation ~ anxiety
- balance retraining exercises ~ vestibular rehabilitation
- aminoglycoside antibiotics ~ gentamicin, streptomycin
Many cases of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, a common inner ear disorder causing dizziness, can be treated using a simple series of head and body maneuvers performed by a doctor or therapist. These treatment remedies maneuvers are known as Canalith repositioning (Epley maneuver) and Semont maneuver.
Your experience with vertigo, dizziness, lightheaded and loss of balance may get better on its own, or it might have a simple treatable solution. If you are experiencing dizziness often, get with your health care provider to discover what might be the cause.
