What is the difference between vertigo and equilibrium

When describing more recent recurrent attacks, the patient clearly can separate out brief seconds episodes of positional vertigo. A vertiginous episode beginning abruptly and lasting minutes in duration is more characteristic of a vascular etiology, such as vertebrobasilar insufficiency or migraines.

Vestibular neuronitis and episodes of labyrinthitis typically present with fairly abrupt onset vertigo over a period of hours with resolution of the acute phase over the next several days. Traumatic injuries or vascular infarction of the labyrinth cause a sudden onset of symptoms with a slow recovery from the acute phase over a period of days to weeks, often with residual effects over a period of 12 to 18 months. Shopping Cart. Understanding Vestibular and Balance Disorders Dizziness is one of the most difficult complaints to assess because it is a subjective sensation that cannot be directly and objectively measured.

True Vertigo Versus Other Types of Dizziness While the description alone cannot make this important distinction between vertigo and other forms of dizziness, there are certain terms that are frequently associated with the description of different forms of dizziness.

Save Save Save Save. Depending on your medical history and symptoms, your doctor will likely order specific types of tests. Your treatment plan will focus on addressing the underlying cause of your symptoms. In many cases, treating the cause of dizziness, vertigo, or lightheadedness can help clear up these symptoms. Dizziness and vertigo are two similar feelings with an important difference. Dizziness is a general feeling of being off-balance. Vertigo is the feeling that you or your surroundings are moving or spinning.

Both dizziness and vertigo can affect your balance and movement. While dizziness can be caused by a variety of factors, vertigo is often caused by conditions of the inner ear or the central nervous system.

The treatment of both dizziness and vertigo aims to address underlying conditions that cause these symptoms. Lightheadedness is caused by a temporary decrease in blood to the brain. This sensation is usually fixed by lying down and allowing blood to flow to…. Dizziness is the feeling of being lightheaded, woozy, or unbalanced. It can come about as a symptom of a number of conditions.

Most underlying causes…. Our balance is maintained by input from vision, nerves of the muscles and joints, and the vestibular system inner ear which is processed into meaningful information by the central vestibular system brainstem. Our bodies are able to compensate for variances in vision or nerve input, however abnormalities in the inner ear are more difficult to process resulting in the sensations of dizziness, vertigo or disequilibrium.

Determining the cause of dizziness and balance disorders is extremely complex. In some cases, treatment may include medication administered by intratympanic injection. On this page. Symptoms of dizziness and vertigo The inner ear and balance Causes of dizziness and vertigo Diagnosis of dizziness and vertigo Treatment of dizziness and vertigo Where to get help. Symptoms of dizziness and vertigo Descriptions of dizziness may include: a sensation of movement including spinning , either of yourself or the external environment unsteadiness, including finding it difficult to walk in a straight line light-headedness feeling faint.

Other symptoms that may accompany dizziness include: headache nausea and vomiting ringing or other sounds in the ears tinnitus difficulty hearing staggering gait and loss of coordination ataxia unusual eye movements, such as flitting of the eyes nystagmus finding it difficult to see clearly when moving, for example, when reading a sign while walking or driving. The inner ear and balance Inside the inner ear is a series of canals filled with fluid.

Causes of dizziness and vertigo A wide range of conditions and diseases can cause dizziness, including: inner ear problems — disorders of the inner ear account for about half of all cases of persistent ongoing dizziness.

Very rarely, other causes of dizziness can include stroke or other brain diseases other conditions — some cases of dizziness are due to underlying medical conditions such as low blood pressure , infection, some heart problems such as cardiac arrhythmias and hypoglycaemia low blood sugar. Medications that are used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, coronary heart disease and high blood pressure can also cause dizziness in some people unknown causes — although a cause may not be found in some people, it does not necessarily mean that these people cannot be helped by the appropriate treatment.

Treatment of dizziness and vertigo Treatment depends on what your doctor thinks is causing your dizziness. Give feedback about this page.