Vertigo is the sensation that you are moving in an otherwise stable environment or that the environment is moving while you are stationary.
What are some common causes of vertigo?
Positional vertigo, otherwise known as Benign Paryoxysmal Positional Vertigo, often occurs when people are changing their head position. However, some will complain about imbalance even when they are not changing the position of their head.
Menieres disease can be a disabling form of vertigo where a patient experiences one or more of the following symptoms:
- Vertigo lasting minutes to hours, often with several days of instability following an attack
- Fluctuating hearing loss
- Roaring or ringing, often sounding like a machine or train
- Pressure or fullness in an ear
Labyrinthitis can present with the sudden onset of room spinning vertigo that lasts several days. This is sometimes accompanied by sudden hearing loss. There may be a recent history of an upper respiratory infection.