Table of contents:
- Vertigo is a collection of symptoms, not a disease name
- What causes vertigo?
- What are the symptoms of vertigo?
- Various vertigo treatments are the most common
Vertigo is a condition in which the sufferer feels the surrounding environment is spinning or floating. Vertigo can occur suddenly or last for a certain period of time. However, if the vertigo you are experiencing is already severe, the symptoms can interfere with your daily activities. This article provides comprehensive information about vertigo, which you may find helpful.
Vertigo is a collection of symptoms, not a disease name
Vertigo is the sensation of a shaky body, head clinking, until you feel that you are not standing firmly, making it difficult for you to stand or walk. If you have vertigo, you may also feel your head spinning or that the world around you is spinning, and be nauseous to vomiting.
What causes vertigo?
Vertigo is generally caused by problems with the way the ears work in regulating the balance of the body. Vertigo can also be caused by problems in certain parts of the brain, as well as certain head movements that can trigger vertigo.
When you move your head, the inside of your ear will tell you where your head is and then send signals to the brain to maintain balance. However, if there is a problem in the inner ear, then you will feel pain and dizziness. Some problems in the inner ear that may occur are:
- Migraines or headaches
- Labyrinthitis, is an infection of the inner ear that can affect your hearing and balance.
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a balance disorder that can cause vertigo when the position of the head changes.
- Meniere's disease, is an inner ear disorder caused by fluid buildup and changes in pressure on the inside of the ear. This can cause vertigo along with ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and hearing loss.
- Vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis, is a disorder of the inner ear due to infection (usually caused by a virus) around the nerves that are important to help balance the body.
What are the symptoms of vertigo?
The most common symptoms of vertigo are nausea, vomiting, headache, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and the sensation of the head turning or floating. Usually, symptoms can last minutes, hours, or days.
Various vertigo treatments are the most common
Often the symptoms of vertigo will improve over time even without treatment, one of which is by resting. This happens because your brain can adjust to changes in the inner ear - in an effort to maintain balance.
However, for cases of vertigo that do not go away even though it has been months or years, there are several special treatments that can be done, such as:
- Perform simple head maneuvers (if the cause is BPPV). Your doctor can guide you through this maneuver.
- To reduce nausea, the doctor can give vertigo medication to make you feel more comfortable. The doctor will also consider giving antibiotics or steroids to reduce swelling and cure the infection. For Meniere's disease, diuretics (water pills) may be prescribed to reduce pressure from fluid buildup.
- Participate in vestibular rehabilitation (VRT) training if the complaints are dizziness and difficulty maintaining body balance. This is a type of physical therapy to strengthen the vestibular system. Functionally, the vestibular system plays a role in maintaining balance, coordination and control of body movements.
- If the vertigo is caused by a more serious underlying problem, such as a tumor or injury to the brain or neck, surgery may be performed to help relieve vertigo.
Basically, you need to know in advance the cause of the vertigo you are experiencing so that then you can undergo the right treatment.
