Dizziness
Have you ever gotten out of bed in the morning and felt a sudden, intense spinning sensation? If so, it was likely an episode of vertigo. Experiencing vertigo is like laying down in bed at night after knocking back a few too many cocktails. It feels like the room is spinning around you which may cause nausea or vomiting. The most common type of vertigo occurs when a tiny crystal from your inner ear loosens and travels into the semicircular canals of your inner ear organ. These semicircular canals are filled with fluid, so when your head moves up, down, right or left (think of a snow globe) the tiny crystal gets “shaken up” causing dizziness until it settles down and your symptoms subside.
If you have ever experienced this type of vertigo before, you know what an awful, scary and debilitating feeling this can be. Many times friends, family and coworkers do not understand what you are experiencing because you look fine on the outside. You’re not “sick” but it feels almost impossible to function. Luckily, this is very treatable and usually only takes a few sessions of physical therapy to restore the crystal back into its original place and get you back to feeling “normal” again.
There are three semicircular canals and different variations of vertigo so it’s important to correctly identify what is causing your dizziness in order to select the right treatment for you. Our experts at Tandem Physical Therapy have experience in successfully treating these disorders.