Vestibular Conditions

 
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Our sense of balance and equilibrium results from coordination of information from the following systems:

Vestibular: Balance organs in your inner ear give your brain information regarding head position and movement.

Proprioceptive system: Joint receptors and muscle spindles in your spine and muscles give the brain information about the orientation of your body.  Sensory organs in your feet give information about the surface you are on.

Vision: Your eyes tell your brain where vertical and horizontal are, orienting you to the world.

Brain: Your brain has the extremely complicated job of amalgamating all of this information to keep you balanced as you move through the world!

 

About the Vestibular System

The vestibular organs in the inner ear provide information about where your head is moving in space.  The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that help control balance and eye movements.  A problem within the vestibular system can cause the following sensations:

  • Dizziness

  • Sensation of being pulled to side

  • Fullness in the head

  • Feeling “off kilter”

  • Light-headedness

  • Blurred vision

  • Fatigue

  • Nausea

  • Floating or swaying sensation

  • Swaying sensation

  • Imbalance

  • Headache

  • Tinnitus

  • Vertigo (spinning/whirling sensation)

Symptoms can be present while sitting still, in specific positions, or with movement. 

 
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Individuals with vestibular impairments often report the following difficulties in their day to day life:

  • Imbalance, stumbling, difficulty walking straight or when turning

  • Tendency to touch or hold onto something when standing.  Difficulties walking in the dark

  • A reluctance to move the head too much, resulting in a stiff neck

  • Trouble focusing or tracking objects with the eyes; motions sickness with scrolling a screen or watching a quick action movie, words on a page may seem to jump or blur.

  • Discomfort from busy visual environments such as traffic, crowds, stores, and patterns 

 

Common vestibular conditions include:

  • Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV)

  • Vestibular Neuritis/Labrynthitis

  • Ototoxicity

  • Perilymphatic Fistula

  • Acoustic Neuroma

  • Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

  • Meniere’s Disease

  • Canal Dehiscence

  • Post-Concussion Syndrome

  • Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)

  • Vestibular Migraine