Dizziness and Vertigo
Vertigo is an illusion of movement. A person affected by this condition feels a sense of spinning, while actually the he is in rest. He feels the things surrounding him are moving or rotating, while they are not. Certain people get this feeling when they change their position at once, for instance when they turn their face at once to another direction or when they suddenly stand up. Some others feel difficult to balance themselves while standing or walking due to the feeling of dizziness and faintness. Few others find it difficult to focus their eyes on a particular thing or experience ringing noises in the ears.
Types of Dizziness and Vertigo
- Positional vertigo caused by a problem in an inner ear
- Central vertigo caused by a major issue in the brain
Causes of Positional Vertigo
Our inner ear plays a vital role in maintaining the balance in our body. For instance, when we are standing, our brain sends signals to all five of our main sensory organs about the standing position we have taken and all these organs support us in maintaining the standing balance. As how it would be difficult to stand if you have a visionary problem, you would be imbalanced with a problem in your inner ear. Vertigo is caused by this imbalance.
Dizziness and Vertigo can be treated easily and ENT doctors call this medical study and treatment as Neuro-otology. Dizziness and vertigo treatment in India are very effective in resolving imbalance and also cost-effective compared with treatments from other countries.
Methods of Dizziness and Vertigo treatment in India
Epley’s maneuvre
This is a treatment method for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertog (BPPV). BPPV is a condition caused by a displacement of calcium particles in the inner ear, which causes imbalance when suddenly moving the head. Epley’s maneuvre is an exercise method of treatment that takes about 10-15 minutes. The head is turned firmly in different positions, which makes the calcium particles to move out of the stuck place and clear the symptoms. Just one time treatment would be adequate for few, while others might need two or three sessions. This is not suitable for persons with spine or back problems.
Intratympanic Therapy
This treatment method is effective on persons who are severely attacked by Vertigo. In this therapy direct injections are made into the middle ear to treat certain conditions causing Vertigo. The eardrum is made numb and the medications reach cochlea. One injection would be adequate for few persons, while some others might need more dosage. Dizziness for next few days has to be tolerated. Infections or loss of hearing are rare risks of this therapy. In some cases unclosed hole in the eardrum is reported that can be corrected easily.
Endolymphatic sac Decompression
This procedure is performed on persons who do not respond to Intratympanic therapy or other medications. This relieves the pressure in the cochlea and vestibular system. This procedure takes about 1-2 hours and would be performed in different ways, may be removing the mastoid bone or inserting a tube to help easily drain the sac, etc. Unrecovered vertigo, further hearing loss, ear discharge, facial nerve injury are few possible complications of this procedure.
Labyrinthectomy
This procedure is performed only on persons who have very poor residual hearing. In this procedure certain parts of the inner ear are disconnected or removed from the systems, therefore the brain does not sense the messages sent by the inner ear, thereby controlling the imbalance. Labyrinthectomy is performed in the expense of hearing sense, thereby suitable only for persons whose hearing loss cannot be repaired.
Vestibular nerve section
This is a similar procedure to Labyrinthectomy where the vestibular nerve that transmits the signals to brain is disconnected from the system. However, in this procedure hearing nerve does not get affected as it is the balance nerve that gets divided. Ear discharge, facial weakness, or headaches are possible complications but rarely reported.
Apart from the Dizziness and Vertigo treatments in India, the doctors advise on the important tips to avoid recurring vertigo. Avoiding loud noises, stressful physical activities, and sudden or excessive head movements and maintaining good sleeping positions would help eliminating the issues of vertigo.