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Vertigo, Nausea and Dizziness

Vertigo, nausea and dizziness can be a very common and debilitating condition. In order to help someone suffering from these conditions its extremely important to be able to differentiate between them.

Some important questions that need answer are:

1. Do you feel like you're spinning or is the world spinning?

2. How long does the sensation of spinning last?

3. Is the sensation made worse with head movements?

4. What direction do you feel you're moving or the environment is moving?

Epley's Maneuver:

Is one of the most common maneuvers use for individuals suffering from vertigo caused by BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Other maneuvers like the BBQ roll is similar in principal but used to treat different canals of the inner ear.

The more knowledgable your healthcare provider is on inner ear and brain function, the more likely they will be able to help you.

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Common causes of Vertigo, Dizziness and Nausea

BPPV

Benign Paroxysmal Position vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo. Luckily it's also one of the easiest conditions to treat. Generally you can treat BPPV typically in one to two visits.

Vestibular Neuronitis

Vestibular neuronitis is the second most common cause of vertigo. Symptoms often subside in 48-78 hours but full recovery may take several weeks. This condition can often be preceded by an upper respiratory tract infection.

Menieres

Ménière's disease is typically thought to be caused by endolymphatic hydrous. Typically vertigo/dizziness symptoms will be accompanied with hearing loss, tinnitus, and a sensation of pressure in the ear.

Brain abnormalities

There are many different brain pathologies / abnormalities that can cause a patient to experience vertigo/dizziness/ nausea. Diagnostic imaging such as CT, MRI, and VNG are typically very useful in determining possible brain related pathologies.

Nutrition

Your inner ear is compose of a gradient of sodium and potassium. Certain nutritional deficiencies can alter the viscosity of the inner ear fluids resulting in a hypersensitive vestibular system.

PPPD

Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) could easily be considered more of a description of a symptoms than a diagnosis. For that reason it's important to properly determine if there are any other vestibular problems that could be causing the vertigo, dizziness, or nausea.

Vestibular hypofunction

Each ear is equipped with three semi-circular canal that provides information on head movement to the brain. If one of those canals has decreased function it typically will result in the sensation of vertigo/dizziness/nausea to the patient.

concussions

Every concussion is different for each individual. Vertigo, dizziness, and nausea are common symptoms of concussions. With proper rehabilitation of the concussion you should see theses symptoms dissipate.

labrynthitis

Infections typically cause symptoms of vertigo that are unrelenting. One distinguishing feature of this condition is the association with hearing loss.

Gold Standard Diagnosis

Get diagnosed with a VNG!

Videonystagmography (VNG) is a diagnostic tool used to diagnose neurological deficits with the vestibular system. VNGs record several different kinds of eye movements such as pursuits, saccades, gaze holding, and optokinetic responses. While performing the eye movements the VNG device is identifying faults like nystagmus, increased latencies, changes in velocities, and positioning errors. The faults that you demonstrate provide diagnostic information that can be used both to diagnose and treat your condition. With appropriate diagnosis the chances of eliminating the vertigo, dizziness and nausea are exponentially increased.

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Vertigo Treatment

Vertigo treatment relies primarily on the diagnosis. Your doctor needs to appropriately determine what is the cause of your vertigo. Treatments for vertigo can change significantly based on each specific patients needs. Typically you need to finds out whether the vertigo is caused from central pathologies or peripheral. One of the most commonly used devices to determine the location of the pathology is the VNG.

Types of Vertigo Treatments

Epley's Maneuver

The Epley's maneuver is a positioning maneuver to treat the most common cause of vertigo and dizziness. The posterior semi-circular ear canal is the most common place to have the condition BPPV. The Epley's maneuver places the patient through different head positional movements which allows for the crystals found in the ear canal to slowly fall through the canal into an area that no longer provokes the symptoms of vertigo.

BBQ Roll

The BBQ roll is another form of repositioning maneuver that helps treat the second most common cause of the condition BPPV. This maneuver is intended to treat patients who's affect inner ear canal is the horizontal semi-circular canal. The BBQ roll places the patient's head through different positional movements much like a "chicken being rosted in a BBQ", that allows for the crystals to fall into an area that no longer provokes the symptoms of vertigo.

Brandt Daroff

The Brandt Daroff exercise is a common exercise prescribed to patients suffering from vertigo and dizziness. This exercise is not as specific to ear canals as the Epley's or BBQ roll maneuver. This exercise is often considered a habituation exercise. A patient is often expected to perform these provocative positional movements until they no longer have the vertigo or dizziness.

Electrical Stimulation

Electrical Stimulation is often used in the rehabilitation of vestibular disorders. Certain electrical stimulation with specific wavelength have the ability to stimulate vestibular function. A common placement for this therapy is often found around the neck and mastoid of the patient. This therapy is performed repetitively on the patient until vestibular function is increased.

Vision Therapy

Vision and vestibular function are linked in multiple different ways. Your vision can often be used to determine the reasons from which you are suffering from your vertigo or dizziness. Many vestibular disorder can make significant progress by performing vision therapy. Stabilizing your vision can significantly reduce or eliminate your vertigo, dizziness, or nausea sensations.

Vestibular Therapy

Vestibular therapy is an umbrella term used to describe any type of therapy that has an influence on stimulating your vestibular system. It could be as simple or complex as the patient requires. Different types of exercises may focus on rotations, balance, vision, electrical stimulation, sounds, temperatures, and vibrations.