3 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Vertigo

If you have vertigo, you may feel like you're spinning or like the room is spinning, tilting, or swaying around you when you're standing still. Additionally, it's common to experience nausea and vomiting as a result of the motion sickness that occurs alongside vertigo. 

Having vertigo is much more than feeling dizzy; vertigo can make it difficult to complete everyday tasks like working and even walking, resulting in falls and sometimes injuries.

Here are a few interesting, little-known facts about vertigo, which can help you explore the right treatment options as early as possible and get moving again.

Vertigo might be a symptom of another, more serious condition

While some cases of vertigo will resolve on their own, requiring no medical treatment at all, it's still important to be evaluated. This is because life-threatening conditions like strokes and heart attacks share some signs and symptoms with vertigo, so ruling out imminent danger is an important part of the process. Once you know for sure that your dizziness, spinning, nausea, and other symptoms are the telltale signs of vertigo, you can proceed with a treatment plan.

Physical therapy is often the most effective treatment for vertigo

The vast majority of cases of vertigo are classified as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, which can come on quickly and cause total disorientation, stumbling, and falling in a matter of moments. BPPV occurs when microscopic crystals called cannaliths in your inner ear — responsible for balance — become dislodged and float around in the inner ear. 

Physical therapists are trained to use the Epley maneuver to get these "stray" crystals back into the vestibule to resolve your symptoms. This is done through quick, very specific movements of your head and neck and can be a highly effective, non-invasive treatment for the condition. 

Vertigo is a symptom, not a disease

If you have vertigo, something else is wrong. Vertigo alone is not a disease; it's the spinning sensation that a disease or disorder causes. In many cases, the real problem is the dislodging of cannaliths in your ear. In some cases, vertigo is caused by certain medications or a problem in your brain. Because vertigo is a symptom and not the diagnosis, evaluation, and diagnosis are usually necessary. 

Start with a free telephone consultation with OneAccord PhysicalTherapy in Phoenix. We can't wait to help.