Vertigo Can Come From Several Different Sources

We’ve all felt dizzy at some point in our life. Perhaps we were spun around too fast or got up too quickly from laying down. Vertigo is a severe case of dizziness which feels like the entire world is spinning or rotating around a person. While many people may use the term to instead describe mere dizziness, vertigo specifically refers to the balance centers within a person’s inner ear and their brain. 

Dealing with vertigo can be a trial for sufferers of it. In many cases, causes of vertigo are dangerous medical situations that will require quick or immediate response. Sometimes vertigo becomes a long term symptom or complication that returns consistently. Either way, it’s not something to be shrugged off. People with vertigo need to seek treatment to at lease minimize the impact it can have on their lives. 

How Does Vertigo Occur

The way the ear works is reasonably easy to understand. The waves of sound will travel through the outer ear until they reach an eardrum. The eardrum converts them to vibrations that move through the middle ear through bones to reach the cochlea and the vestibular nerve. This nerve then sends the input to the brain and the brain recognizes the signal and what it means. 

When this system of passing signals breaks down at one of several places in the process (to be discussed later), then it’s possible for a person to receive incorrect signals in the brain. This can turn into the sense of vertigo and severe dizziness that people feel.

Causes of Vertigo

There are many different causes that can lead to vertigo. Central causes of vertigo come from the brain or spine. Peripheral causes of vertigo originate in the ear. Some of the central causes include: 

• Tumors - These can occur in the brain or also on the spinal cord.
• Vestibular Migraines - This specific form of migraine headache has been known to cause vertigo as one of its symptoms. 
• Strokes - People suffering from a stroke often lose their coordination and suffer from vertigo, losing balance. 
• Brain Injuries or Concussions - People suffering from concussions and other brain injuries have reported that vertigo may be a central cause. 
• Multiple Sclerosis - Sufferers of MS know how tough it can be and the vertigo they may suffer from doesn’t make it easier. 

Some of the peripheral causes of vertigo include: 

• Infections - Specifically vestibular neuronitis, labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis can cause an issue. 
• Inflammation - It’s possible that inflammation can displace parts of the inner ear and irritate the small hair cells. This form of vertigo is BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) 
• Fluid Buildup - Ménière’s disease is caused when fluid builds up in the endolymphatic system or inner ear. In addition to vertigo it can cause tinnitus or hearing loss. 

Preventing and Treating Vertigo

There are several different treatments which may be used to assist with vertigo. People with persistent vertigo symptoms may be offered medications that can often alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Medications are purely intended for symptom reduction and not for curing vertigo in any way though. 

Some people with vertigo will be taught particle repositioning movements. These treatments will attempt to reposition the crystals within the inner ear to help avoid irritation and inflammation. Symptoms can resolve themselves. Often during the early parts of this treatment, vertigo may actually feel worse than it was before. There are also Brandt-Daroff exercises. PEople with positional vertigo often use them where they lay down quickly from seated positioning. The head should be pointed away from the side of the head that causes the vertigo. It’s typically performed several times per day to maximize the benefit it’s providing. There are some other movements that can help assist the body including half somersaults.