Vertigo Treatment In Toronto Helps Reduce Symptoms

By Lucia Weeks


Small children often enjoy the sensation of dizziness caused by twirling in a circle. They are feeling a momentary distortion of the way orientation within a personal space is experienced, and how normal perceptions of balance can become temporarily confused. Vertigo is a severe form of dizziness that creates the alarming feeling that an individual or surroundings are spinning out of control. Vertigo treatment in Toronto, ON is helping victims combat those attacks.

When it occurs unintentionally, dizziness can be dangerous. It is one of the most common causes of falls plaguing the elderly, and results in short-term physical injury as well as long-term disability. Although not demographically confined to that group, combining the standard issues of the aged population with prescriptions for common medications used to combat them increases the chances of experiencing this problem.

The primary cause is often a disease or drug that alters how the inner ear functions. The human brain maintains balance by relying on information produced and transmitted by the eyes, muscles, joints, and soles of the feet, as well as the inner ear, which hosts an important fluid-filled structure called a labyrinth. When the liquid it contains shifts due to a change of actual physical position, the brain recognizes and accommodates that movement.

When communications and data input become physically distorted, the eyes often begin to move in response to a perceived motion, resulting in a feeling of intense vertigo and disorientation. One of the most common forms is BPPV, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, a condition that may be caused by unusual calcium deposits within the inner ear. It can occur at any stage of life.

Another related ailment is Meniere's disease, whose hallmark also includes generalized hearing loss. The problem creates a buildup of fluids, and the appearance of tinnitus, or hearing a constant underlying noise, can be a sign of possible future issues. In many cases, people have suffered a previous viral infection that triggered inflammation surrounding the inner ear structure, creating long-term damage.

Previous injuries affecting the neck and head, stroke, brain tumors, and even chronic migraines also contribute to the problem. During an attack, many people become nauseous or begin to sweat uncontrollably. They may be unable to hear or understand normal speech, which only adds to the disorientation. Some experience intermittent symptoms, but they can last for several hours. Effective treatment relies on identifying and singling out the causes.

Compensating for prolonged, error-plagued sensory input can be accomplished using vestibular rehabilitation. This process is most advantageous for those who have a chronic problem, because it helps circumvent the most common responses. People achieve relief by making specific movements of the head or body that help to shed the inner deposits of calcium distorting balance. The movements are easily taught by an experienced therapist.

Nausea can be reduced by certain medications that relieve motion sickness, and inflammation reduced by steroid or antibiotic use. In the most severe cases, surgery may be required. Although an attack may pass, repeated incidents should not be ignored. Although many cases resolve on their own, the potential for further injury and deterioration makes medical attention not only advisable, but essential.




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