Vertigo is the spinning motion of your surroundings around your head. It is different from dizziness as in dizziness; a person feels dizzy, faint, and weak. In simple words, it is rotating dizziness. In vertigo, an individual takes a false sense of his surroundings. Vertigo may appear when there is a problem in the inner ear, sensory nerve pathways, and brain.
Symptoms of vertigo are a sensation of moving surroundings, particularly when you look up. Like an object is revolving above your head. It comprises of a set of related symptoms. Among them, lightheadedness, balance problems, vomiting, nausea, and feeling of fullness in the ear are most obvious. In vertigo, uncontrolled eye movement is also observed.
It is common in people above 60 years of age. It may be temporary or long-term in nature. Daily life activities of a person are affected in vertigo, which may ultimately lead to anxiety and depression. Sometimes vertigo is misunderstood with height fear but is different from it. You may continuously feel ongoing spin around your head.
The main cause behind vertigo is ear and nervous system problems. It is important to understand ear physiology and anatomy properly to understand vertigo. Sound waves are received in-ear traveling to the outer ear until they do not reach to the eardrum. These sound waves are converted into vibrations and transmitted towards middle ear through small bones of ear. These vibrations reach finally to the vestibular nerve. This nerve gives a signal to the brain, and also it converts the vibrations into sound waves. Problems in vestibular nerves are prominent reasons of developing vertigo.
There are different types of vertigo, depending upon the cause behind it. One is peripheral vertigo, in which there is a disturbance in little inner organs of ear. These organ names as labyrinth receive the message and deliver it to the brain.
Another is central vertigo, in which there is a disturbance in one or more than one part of the central nervous system. Due to central vertigo, an individual’s perception of vision and balance is destabilized. Symptoms may involve dizziness and imbalance at the same time.
The underlying causes behind vertigo are the following — Meniere’s disease in which there is an accumulation of fluid in-ear due to repeated infections. People of 40-60 years of age are more susceptible to it.
In vestibular neuronitis, there is inflammation of a vestibular nerve. Cholesteatoma is the skin growth in the inner ear, which results in loss of hearing and dizziness. Labyrinthitis is the inflammation of the inner ear. Due to this viral inflammation, the nerve labyrinth which is responsible for encoding the body and head movement is affected along with hearing capacity.
In some cases, vertigo cures itself without any treatment. However, treating the underlying causes of antibiotics, antiviral, antibacterial, and steroids may help in preventing from vertigo. Recommendations are restricting salt in the diet and increased diuretic therapy to minimize the water retained by the body, so the fluid does not build up in the ear. If there is still no improvement shown by the affected person, surgery is the last option to opt for.
If you are suffering from vertigo, you should not drive. Do not use a ladder or look upwards when you feel dizzy. Do not go for sudden changes in head position as it also worsens the situation. Lifestyle changes are advised, like sitting down immediately as soon as you observe it is attacking you. If any object leads you towards symptoms of vertigo avoid looking at it. Use a can to achieve balance. The use of turmeric and ginger are herbal remedies for vertigo.