Clare Bates
Vestibular Audiologist
Dizziness and balance disorders associated with ears are very common. Typically when your ears are the reason for your dizziness, you feel dizzy looking up, bending forward, lying down or turning over in bed.
You may also feel uncomfortable and/or dizzy when in a crowd or when seeing movement. In addition feeling a sensation of movement and nausea are quite common. Classically moving your head makes the symptoms worse.
People with a balance problem will often struggle to carry out normal day-to-day activities, they may describe feeling tired, difficulty with concentration, memory and confidence. Even if you are fit you may still struggle if confronted by steps, uneven ground, narrow paths, or seeing the movement of water.
Visual vertigo
Some people may experience vertigo or dizziness as a result of being overstimulated by complex visual environments for example shops, crowds, patterns, leaves on the ground, light through the trees, waves and snow falling just naming a few. This is often referred to as Visual Vertigo and can be helped with the right type of Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy exercises.
Here are some examples of situations and patterns that can exacerbate dizziness:
If your dizziness is caused by one of the following ear conditions: Labyrinthitis, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Migraine associated Vertigo, Mal de debarquement and Meniere's Disease, then Vestibular Rehabilitation may be useful to you. Different conditions respond to treatments in different ways. For example BPPV may need only one or two appointments to help reduce symptoms but treatment for Labyrinthitis may require at least three appointments before you feel able to cope with the condition. Some dizziness often requires a multi-disciplinary approach for example PPPD (3PD), Meniere's Disease or dizziness resulting from head injury. and you may need to consider medication, meditation, mindfulness or counselling.
If you are experiencing balance problems or dizziness following a head injury, click here to visit Headway's information library.
Bilateral Vestibular Loss (BVL)
Bilateral vestibulopathy occurs when the balance portions of both inner ears are damaged.
I’s a chronic vestibular syndrome which is characterized by unsteadiness when walking or standing, which is worse in darkness and/or on uneven ground, or during head motion. Additionally, you may describe head or body movement-induced blurred vision or oscillopsia. Travelling over a bumpy road can have the same effect. Multi-tasking while walking may become impossible for example reading a sign or holding a conversation.
Causes of this include congenital, head and or brain injury, vestibular neuritis, Meniere’s disease, gentamycin toxicity or streptomycin toxicity, tumors and Canvas.
A change in lifestyle may be needed, adjustment to the greatly reduced balance, and inability to see when the head is in motion. You will want to take precautions to avoid falls. In some cases, you may need to change your occupation if your present one requires good balance, and an ability to see while the head is in motion. For example, it would not be safe to continue as a driver, construction worker, or to work at height if you developed a significant bilateral vestibulopathy. Adding night-lights and grab-bars is often helpful in the home. Climbing stairs regularly may be considered too risky.
Research is being performed to find equipment and implants that might help.
This looks a promising development. The Balance Belt click here.
Please contact for more information or to arrange an appointment.