Vertigo is the false sense that you or the room is spinning, and an inner ear problem is the most common source. Vertigo with a sudden headache, weakness, numbness, double vision, slurred speech or trouble walking needs 911. Spells that keep returning or have no clear cause should be checked by your doctor.
Vertigo and Stroke: When to Call 911
Call 911 for vertigo with a sudden headache, chest pain, trouble walking, double vision or other vision changes, slurred speech, confusion, fainting, or numbness or weakness in your face, an arm or a leg. Vertigo can be a sign of stroke. Call even if the symptoms fade.
Do not drive yourself. A stroke in the back of the brain can cause vertigo, imbalance, double vision, a headache, nausea or weakness on one side. Those signs can differ from a stroke in the front of the brain.
Get emergency care too for vertigo with
- A rapid or irregular heartbeat
- Trouble breathing
- Seizures
- A sudden change in hearing
- Vomiting that will not stop
- A fever over 100.4 degrees F
- A fall
Call your doctor for vertigo that
- Keeps coming back
- Came on suddenly or feels severe, without any of the signs above
- Lasts a long time
- Has no clear cause
- Makes you feel you are about to fall
The American Stroke Association's guide to stroke symptoms says most symptoms of a warning stroke last from a few minutes up to 24 hours, and that warning strokes come before about 15 percent of strokes.
What a Spell Can Feel Like
You roll over in bed, or tip your head back to look at a high shelf, and the room starts to turn. A spell may pass in under a minute. Others last hours or days and bring nausea and unsteady steps.
What set it off, how long it lasted and what came with it all give clues to the cause.
What Vertigo Is
Vertigo is the false sense that you or your surroundings are moving or spinning. It is a symptom of other conditions. Doctors sort it into peripheral vertigo, from the inner ear or its nerve, and central vertigo, from a problem in the brain. Peripheral is the more common type.
Balance relies on three sets of signals: from your eyes, your inner ear and the sensory nerves in your body. When the inner ear's message disagrees with the other two, the brain registers movement that is not there.
People with central vertigo usually have stronger symptoms, such as severe instability or trouble walking.
Cleveland Clinic's overview of vertigo says falls from it can lead to broken bones, and that it can keep people from driving or going to work.
Symptoms That Can Come With Vertigo
Several of these overlap with the 911 signs above. When one does, go by that list first.
- A sense of spinning or moving while you are still
- Loss of balance or unsteady walking
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid eye movements you cannot control, called nystagmus
- Hearing loss in one or both ears
- A feeling of fullness in the ear
- A headache
- Blurred vision
Where Vertigo Can Come From
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
Tiny crystals in the inner ear slip out of place and land in a canal that senses head turns. A change in head position then sets off a spell. Mayo Clinic calls it one of the most common causes of vertigo. Often no reason for it is found, though a blow to the head can be one.
Vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis
An infection or swelling can reach the vestibular nerve, which runs from the inner ear to the brain, and cause intense, constant vertigo. Sudden hearing loss along with it may mean labyrinthitis.
Migraine
People who get migraines can have vertigo that lasts minutes to hours, sometimes with no bad headache at all.
Meniere's disease
This rare condition involves too much fluid in the inner ear. Sudden spells can last for hours, with hearing loss that may come and go and a plugged feeling.
Stroke and other brain conditions
A stroke, a brain infection or a traumatic brain injury can cause central vertigo.
Medicines and blood pressure
Some antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and heart drugs can bring on vertigo, and so can a drop in blood pressure when you stand. Ask your doctor before changing a medicine.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders' fact sheet on balance disorders says about 15 percent of American adults had a balance or dizziness problem in 2008.
How We Approach Vertigo in Towson
An assessment of your specific symptoms may come first. Some causes belong with an ear, nose and throat specialist or a neurologist. After our comprehensive evaluation, a service like this may be recommended, depending on your condition.
Chiropractic
Adjustments may follow that assessment, when they fit your case.
Before any gentle chiropractic treatment, the chiropractor carefully evaluates your condition to see if you are a candidate.
Vertigo Care Options and Who Provides Them
This table covers common options, not all of them, and the right one depends on the cause. Other choices are a question for your doctor, an ear, nose and throat specialist or a neurologist.
| Option | What it involves | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Canalith repositioning | Slow head movements that guide loose crystals out of the canal, used for BPPV. | A healthcare professional or audiologist |
| Vertigo exercises | Stretching, strengthening, eye control and balance work shaped to your symptoms. | A provider trained in vestibular rehabilitation |
| Medicine | Motion sickness medicines or antihistamines for sudden, short-lived vertigo. Some can cause drowsiness. | Your doctor |
| Treating the cause | Care for the condition behind the vertigo, or a change to a medicine that may be to blame. | Your doctor or a specialist |
| Chiropractic adjustments | Hands-on work on the joints of the spine. | A chiropractor at this clinic, if recommended |
| Surgery | Cleveland Clinic says this is rare and usually kept for when other treatments do not work. | A surgeon |
Seeing Us for Vertigo on E Joppa Rd
A first visit may open with detailed questions about your history and your spells. If a specialist or your own doctor is already involved, chiropractic care may be combined with that treatment, and the team may send you to another provider for anything it cannot help with.
Goucher College, Goucher Woods and Towson Estates
Goucher College is about a mile northwest of the clinic, and Goucher Woods is closer on that same side, about 0.4 miles out. Towson Estates is the neighborhood right behind the buildings on this part of E Joppa Rd.
Bring These Details to a Vertigo Evaluation
Write down how the spells feel, how long they last, what sets them off and whether you have fallen. List every medicine and supplement you take. Ask someone to drive you if you are having spells. Questions about cost or coverage can be handled by phone before you come.