Learn How to Treat Vertigo

Vertigo is a term sometimes confused with ‘dizziness’ or ‘lightheadedness’. Vertigo specifically means that you feel as if your surroundings or you are moving, when you are not. It can be compared to being on solid ground and feeling as if you are on a boat in a storm.

The sensations that accompany vertigo can be explained as feelings of falling, tilting, and spinning. A severe form of vertigo can replicate motion sickness and cause vomiting and nausea.

How to treat vertigo will depend, in part, on what is causing it.

Inner Ear Issues

Any number of inner ear issues can cause vertigo. These issues include BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), labyrinthitis, Meniere’s disease and vestibular neuritis. If the vertigo is caused by one of these issues, the way to treat it is to treat the issue itself, in full.

Migraines

One common symptom of migraines is vertigo. Treating the vertigo caused by migraine headaches is accomplished by treating the migraines. Your physician may recommend a prescription medication or changes to your diet. Following his or her instructions carefully can help reduce the amount of migraines experienced, which can in turn reduce the exposure to vertigo.

Injury

An injury to the head or ear can cause vertigo symptoms. In this case, the injury itself should be dealt with because it is an injury. Addressing the vertigo should be secondary to that. Injury to the head or ear should be checked by a physician immediately to avoid additional problems.

As the injury heals, vertigo may be present, but the treating physician can recommend specific treatments and tips to help with the vertigo while not jeopardizing the healing of the injury.

General Tips

In general, if vertigo is experienced, safety is a concern. It is best to sit or lie down slowly and carefully and allow the sensation to pass. Once it passes, slowly and carefully rise, keeping in mind that quick motions can bring on the vertigo again.

If vertigo is experienced, a doctor should be consulted to ascertain the cause, which will then lead to ways to address the root cause and avoid more bouts of vertigo.

If the vertigo is accompanied by any symptoms of a medical emergency, such as chest pain, sudden weakness or bleeding that is severe, emergency medical help should be sought.

Summary

In learning how to treat vertigo, it is crucial to ascertain the cause, so it can be treated, thereby helping to eliminate or reduce the risk for more bouts of vertigo. The general tips can be helpful, but true treatment comes from treating the root cause.

References

Dizziness: Lightheadedness and Vertigo – Topic Overview. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/dizziness-lightheadedness-and-vertigo-topic-overview

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). Mayo Clinic Staff. May 15, 2010. https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vertigo/DS00534

First Aid & Emergencies: Vertigo Treatment. WebMD. https://firstaid.webmd.com/vertigo-treatment