When the vestibular nerve swells from the infection, the signals to the brain are thrown off and result in vertigo, dizziness, balance problems, nausea and even difficulty concentrating.
There are medications to control symptoms; often a steroid will also be given. Feeling Off-Balance? Previous Next. View Larger Image. It might actually be in your ears. Vertigo Vertigo is really the name of the symptom describing this dizzy, off-balance feeling, but something called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo BPPV is a diagnosis in itself.
Follow Us. Related Posts. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email. It helps you hear and keep your balance. The parts of the inner ear are attached but work separately to do each job.
The cochlea works with parts of the outer and middle ear to help you hear sounds. It looks like a small spiral-shaped snail shell. The cochlea is filled with liquid. It contains a smaller, sensitive structure called the organ of Corti. There are several steps that have to happen from outer ear to inner ear for a person to hear a sound:.
The 3 semicircular canals are loop-shaped tubes in the inner ear. The hairs act like sensors that help you with your balance. The semicircular canals sit at right angles to each other. When your head moves around, the fluid inside the semicircular canals shift around. This moves the tiny hairs inside them. They also sense movement. These movement and balance sensors send electrical nerve messages to your brain. In turn, the brain tells your body how to stay balanced.
This is why you may feel dizzy for a little while even when you stop moving or are on solid ground. Inner ear conditions can affect your hearing and balance. Inner ear problems that cause hearing loss are called sensorineural because they usually affect the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea that help you hear sound. The nerves and hair sensors in the inner ears can get damage due to aging or from being around too much loud noise for too long.
Most balance problems are caused by issues in your inner ear. You may feel vertigo a room spinning sensation , dizziness, lightheadedness, or unsteady on your feet. Conditions in or adjacent to the inner ear can affect balance and may also sometimes cause hearing loss.
You may need to see a specialist called an ENT ear, nose, and throat specialist to get treatment for an inner ear condition. Viral illnesses that affect the inner ear may go away on their own. Symptoms usually get better over time.
In some rare conditions, your doctor may recommend other treatment like surgery. Hearing aids, including implantable hearing aids, may help improve hearing in people with some hearing loss or deafness in one ear.
For people who have partial hearing intact there are also sound-boosting and focusing devices on the market. Cochlear implants are kinds of hearing aids that help children and adults with severe sensorineural hearing loss.
It helps to make up for damage to the inner ear. Ear nose and throat. Home Ear nose and throat. Ears - Meniere's disease. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. The inner ear — balance and hearing The inner ear contains a series of canals filled with fluid. Some people feel a degree of motion sickness, while others may even vomit or experience diarrhoea noises in the ear tinnitus — described as hissing, roaring or ringing, or a combination of sounds.
The tinnitus may be relentless, or fade in and out. Often, one or two symptoms will be more noticeable than others. These include: Hearing tests — to test if hearing loss is specific to your inner ear. Electronystagmography ENG — measures involuntary eye movement while your balance is put under stress. Non-surgical options include: medication — to control vertigo, nausea and vomiting, and reduce anxiety and fluid retention lifestyle changes — stress management, dietary changes, especially a low-salt diet, and quitting smoking pressure pulse devices — to help relieve the build-up of pressure and reduce vertigo for people whose symptoms do not respond to medical therapy chemical ablation — an antibiotic is used to reduce or destroy the remaining balance vestibular functions of the inner ear, so that signals are no longer sent to the brain.
This may include procedures that: alter the build-up of fluid in your inner ear endolymphatic sac procedures destroy the balance mechanism of the inner ear vestibular nerve section or vestibular neurectomy — these are serious operations that carry a risk of hearing loss, can temporarily disrupt your balance and may require a period of rehabilitation.
Some suggestions include: Recognise the warning signs of an attack — sit or lie down immediately when you feel dizzy. Rest during and after attacks, before returning to regular activities. If you experience balance problems between attacks, you may benefit from doing exercises and activities that help your body and brain regain the ability to process balance information correctly.
This is called vestibular rehabilitation therapy. Avoid triggers that make your symptoms worse, including sudden movement, bright lights, watching television or reading. Beware of losing your balance — good lighting, an even walking surface and use of a walking stick can help you to maintain stability and avoid a fall. Avoid driving a car or operating heavy machinery if you experience frequent episodes of vertigo, as this could lead to an accident and injury.
Use a hearing aid if you experience hearing loss. Eat regular meals — an even intake of food and drink throughout the day can help regulate your body fluids. Reduce your salt sodium intake — eating too much salt increases the fluid in your inner ear and makes your symptoms worse.
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