Thursday, December 25, 2014

How Vertigo Treatment In Toronto Benefits Those Who Suffer

By Lucia Weeks


Most small children enjoy twirling around until they feel a momentary giddiness and loss of balance. They are experimenting with disrupting the normal sensory input that governs physical orientation, and find the new sensations exciting and different. Vertigo takes that normal dizziness to unpleasant extremes, creating the feeling that an individual or the environment is uncontrollably spinning. Vertigo treatment in Toronto, ON helps victims find relief.

When they are not voluntary, dizzy sensations can actually be dangerous. They are a primary contributor to falls that can cause not only short-term injury, but also longer-lasting disabilities for many elderly people. While not confined specifically to the aged, a combination of normal aging, decreased flexibility and mobility, and many commonly prescribed medications can exacerbate the 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 signals and information become distorted, the eyes may begin to move back and forth in a way that imitates normal response to motion, but which instead causes a feeling of intense vertigo. The initial problem can be benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, which condition characterized by harmful calcium clumps within the inner ear. It occurs at any age.

Another common cause is Meniere's disease, characterized by extreme dizziness and general hearing loss. It causes a buildup of fluids within the ear, and the associated tinnitus may produce a constant sensation of underlying noise, and in some cases longer-term problems. Some people suffer from viral infections that encourage inflammation around inner ear structures, triggering subsequent balance problems.

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.

Vestibular rehabilitation is designed to retrain the senses to compensate for prolonged but incorrect sensory input. It is most effective in people who experience chronic occurrences, and helps circumvent common responses. Others gain relief by making specific head and body movements proven useful in shedding the inner calcium deposits that affect balance, a process easily learned under supervision.

The same medications used to combat motion sickness can also be helpful during treatment, and antibiotics or steroids reduce inflammation. In the worst cases, surgical intervention may be required. While an attack may ebb, repeated occurrences should never simply be ignored. Even though many cases resolve without an obvious reason, the potential for injury while dizzy makes medical attention essential.




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