Vertigo and your vestibular system

Vertigo can strike at anytime. For some, it happens after a night of too many alcoholic drinks. For others, it is with specific head or body positions that sends their world spinning out of control. The reason why it is head and body positions that cause a vertigo attack is due to the link of vertigo with our vestibular system. Our vestibular system is dispersed through our brain and brain stem all the way to our inner ear. At its core, our vestibular system is designed to give our brain a sense of body position based on the input of gravity. We have a specific design in our inner ear, the semicircular canals, that send sensory signals to our brain to determine our head position in relation to gravity. This system is ultimately designed to prevent us from falling over and to keep our eyes level to the horizon.

Typical vertigo treatments

Most often the classification of vertigo is BPPV, known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. This type of vertigo is related to the structures in the inner ear and essentially says we have a disruption in our relationship with gravity. This could be caused by an infection, crystals becoming lodged in our semicircular canals, or inflammation due to other causes. The treatments for the inner ear typically include repositioning maneuvers and vestibular therapy. The outcomes are either success or setting off another episode of vertigo. This type of treatment option is generally managed by an ENT doctor and a physical therapist.

What happens when the typical treatment fails?

Generally, once PT and repositioning maneuvers have been exhausted and symptoms haven’t resolved, patients are often discharged with little help for what to do next. This results in many patients making accommodations to their life. This includes sleeping on a particular side, changing positions very slowly, and avoiding any known trigger that will set off an episode of vertigo. Often these individuals will have attacks of vertigo for months of end when an attack occurs and it drastically changes their quality of life. When the typical treatments geared towards the inner ear fail, then there is reason to believe that the inner ear was not the root cause of the vertigo. In this case, we must look to the brain and brainstem to understand the root cause of the vertigo attacks.

The brain and vertigo

The brain and brainstem play an integral role in vertigo symptoms. Symptoms that indicate the brain and brainstem may be involved in vertigo symptoms include nausea, balance issues, fear based anxiety, digestive complaints, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, anxiety, short temper, brain fog and a sense of not feeling like yourself. Any of these symptoms combined with failed previous treatment is a good indication for a brain based approach to healing your vertigo. At SCC Neuro in Fort Mill, SC our brain based approach examines the function of your brain and nervous system. A thorough intake of your vertigo symptoms, medical history, and our exam helps us create a specific neuro rehab plan to help reduce and eliminate your vertigo symptoms. Located 15 minutes outside of downtown Charlotte, NC we are conveniently located in Baxter Village.