Have you ever experienced the constant spinning waves while rotating 360 degrees for a few seconds? If yes, you are quite familiar with how spinning sensations feel like.
Vertigo is referred to as a sensation of spinning where a person gets a false impression of whether the surroundings are spinning or a person is spinning all by himself along with a loss of equilibrium.
Living with vertigo is not an easy task. It creates hindrance in accomplishing daily chores and simple activities like walking, sleeping, driving, exercising, etc. seem like a tiring task. The situation becomes even more frustrating as the person suffering from vertigo spells appears normal to the outer world. Repeated episodes of vertigo spell appear without any warning signs and may even prove to be a life-threatening cause if it appears amid the traffic or while driving a vehicle.
An inflammation, injury, or disorder in the vestibular system or disorder in the brainstem results in causing vertigo conditions. Apart from dizziness, balance issues, motion sickness, headache, the feeling of fullness in the inner ear, nausea and vomiting are some of the most common symptoms of vertigo that come along with spinning sensations.
Mild conditions are treated well with vertigo home remedies and practicing exercises for vertigo regularly for at least a month. If the condition is severe and the symptoms of vertigo start getting complex, it is advised to seek medical help. Consult an expert neurologist to get the right vertigo treatment. Your doctor will seek your complete medical history and carry certain vertigo tests to examine the condition depending upon the symptoms of vertigo a patient is showing.
Once the type and the underlying cause of vertigo are diagnosed, your doctor will prescribe the right vertigo medication and suggest the right vertigo treatment to escalate the symptoms and provide the much-needed relief.
What are the most common types of vertigo?
Vertigo is widely categorized into two type’s Peripheral vertigo and Central vertigo. You must be thinking about what are these? Well, in this article, we will share a brief insight into the types of vertigo.
A majority of patients experiencing sudden bouts of vertigo spells are diagnosed with Peripheral vertigo. If the ratio is to be checked, patients experiencing central vertigo is a lot less. Peripheral vertigo is considered to be a more complex condition in comparison to central vertigo stated by balance institutes.
A patient experiencing peripheral or central vertigo can be treated well with vertigo medications and vertigo treatments. An expert neurologist will carry certain vertigo tests to diagnose the underlying cause and the type of vertigo and suggest the treatment accordingly.
Let’s have an in-depth look at peripheral and central vertigo
An insight into Peripheral vertigo
The spinning sensation caused due to inflammation, infection, or disorder in the vestibular system is known as peripheral vertigo. The vestibular system comprises vestibular nerves and cochlear, which is responsible for hearing and sending sensory signals from the inner ear to the brain, that regulates the balance of the body. Inflammation in any of these nerves results in interrupting signals sent to the brain thus causing spinning sensations along with making a person feel unsteady.
Apart from spinning sensations, a person suffering from peripheral vertigo experiences a loss of balance, jerky eye movements, loss of hearing ability, a ringing sensation known as tinnitus, nausea, and vomiting. Peripheral vertigo is widely categorized into various types, to know more about types of peripheral vertigo let’s get started!
Types of peripheral vertigo
1. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of peripheral vertigo diagnosed in the majority of patients who complain about repeated episodes of vertigo spells.
A person suffering from BPPV vertigo experiences frequent episodes of vertigo spells without any warning signs that last for a few minutes to hours depending upon the severity of the condition.
BPPV is caused due to the deposition of calcium crystal particles in the inner ear that blocks the vestibular nerve, responsible for sending sensory signals from the inner ear to the brain. The interruption in sending clear messages to the brain results in making a person lose balance all of a sudden along with spinning sensations. The slightest movement in the position of the head and the body results in triggering the symptoms of BPPV vertigo even further as it causes calcium crystals to move out of place.
2. Meniere’s disease
Meniere’s disease is another medical condition that causes peripheral vertigo. A person suffering from Meniere’s disease experiences severe vertigo spells that last for hours. It is one of the types of peripheral vertigo that does not have any cure. Altering dietary habits help in giving the much-needed relief from such a condition.
Meniere’s disease is caused due to excess fluid build-up in the inner ear. The increased pressure in the inner ear results in making a person feel dizzy and experience repeated episodes of vertigo bouts.
3. Labyrinthitis
Labyrinthitis is another inner ear condition that results in causing peripheral vertigo.An inner ear infection caused due to bacterial or viral infection that makes the vestibular nerves or cochlear nerve inflamed resulting in making a person feel dizzy along with spinning sensations such a condition is known as Labyrinthitis.
4. Vestibular neuronitis
Vestibular neuronitis is commonly known as vestibular neuritis. An inflammation or infection caused in the vestibular nerve due to viral infection such as a common cold or flu resulting in making a person lose balance with repeated episodes of vertigo spells, such a condition is known as Vestibular neuronitis.
A brief insight into central vertigo
Central vertigo is referred to as a condition when a person experiences spinning sensations due to the problem within the brain or brainstem. Head injuries, infection or disease in the head, multiple sclerosis, migraines, brain tumors, strokes, etc. are some of the most common causes of central vertigo. Central vertigo bouts last for prolonged hours and indicate a more severe condition when compared to peripheral vertigo. Apart from spinning sensations, dizziness, headaches, weakness, trouble in swallowing are some of the common symptoms that come along with central vertigo. It is advised to seek medical help as soon as symptoms start emerging to get the right central vertigo treatment.
Experiencing vertigo spells? Consult an expert neurologist to get yourself diagnosed and get the right treatment that helps in alleviating symptoms completely.
