Vertigo and Nausea: Understanding the Connection
Learn more about this common symptom of vertigo and how it can be treated.
Have you ever been on an amusement park ride and started to feel dizzy and nauseous? This common condition, known for causing a spinning sensation that can make you feel off balance, disoriented, and sick to your stomach, is called vertigo. Vertigo and nausea often go hand and hand. Fortunately, our physiotherapists can help you resolve your symptoms and restore your stability.
Understanding why you have vertigo and nausea and what to do about it can often be confusing. Our physiotherapists at Physio For Life will help you determine the source of your condition and, more importantly, find solutions that improve your symptoms.
If you’ve been struggling with vertigo, call us today!
Vertigo 101
Vertigo is when an injury or underlying condition causes the inner ear and brain to sense movement when there is none. This is why dizziness from a spinning sensation is one of the most common symptoms of vertigo and can be accompanied by nausea or vomiting.
Vertigo and nausea are often linked because they can be triggered by the same conditions affecting the inner ear or brain. Both of these symptoms can be related to the body’s vestibular system, which maintains balance and spatial orientation.
The vestibular system, which includes parts of the inner ear and brain, helps you maintain balance and understand spatial orientations. It signals your brain about the body’s motion, orientation, and equilibrium.
When this system is disrupted – due to infections, inflammation, disorders like Meniere’s disease, or conditions such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – it can send incorrect or conflicting signals to your brain about your body’s position or movement. As a result, you may feel like you’re spinning or moving when you’re not, which is the sensation known as vertigo.
In response to these conflicting signals and the sensation of movement, your brain can trigger feelings of nausea and even vomiting. This is similar to the sensation you might experience when you become car sick or seasick: your brain receives conflicting information about movement from your eyes and vestibular system, leading to disorientation and nausea.
Furthermore, certain brain conditions, like migraines, strokes, or tumors, can also cause both vertigo and nausea. It’s important to seek advice from our specialists if you experience these symptoms, especially if they persist, to determine the underlying cause and appropriate treatment.
How Our Physiotherapists Can Help with Vertigo and Nausea
Our physiotherapists will design a treatment program to address your vertigo and nausea, depending on your unique needs. We will create this care plan based on a comprehensive evaluation of your condition, symptoms and limitations, and other essential health factors.
The following provides a brief overview of their treatment methods:
- Canalith Repositioning Procedures (CRP): If the vertigo is due to BPPV, physiotherapists can perform maneuvers like the Epley or Semont maneuver to move the calcium crystal deposits out of the sensitive part of the inner ear.
- Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT): VRT is an exercise-based program to promote central nervous system compensation for inner ear deficits. It can help with imbalance, dizziness, and spatial disorientation. VRT exercises involve head movement to strengthen the vestibular ocular reflex, a reflex action of the eyes that helps to stabilize images on the retina during head movement.
- Habituation Exercises: These exercises can help reduce dizziness by repeatedly exposing the patient to the specific movement or position causing the symptoms.
- Balance Training: This helps improve stability and decrease the risk of falls, particularly in patients who suffer from chronic vertigo. It involves exercises to improve posture, strengthen muscles, and increase stability.
- Patient Education: Our physiotherapists provide guidance on managing triggers and symptoms of vertigo. They may also teach strategies to deal with episodes of vertigo, such as specific eye movements or positional changes.
- Tailored Exercise Programs: Physiotherapists can design home-based exercise programs to improve balance, reduce dizziness, and enhance overall movement ability.
Your treatment depends on the individual patient’s symptoms, the cause of their symptoms, and their overall health. Our physiotherapists may also prescribe exercises to improve your gait and ability to perform typical daily tasks to enhance your overall physical health and well-being.
Call Us to Learn If Physiotherapy Treatment for Your Vertigo and Nausea Is Right For You
If you’re dealing with vertigo and nausea but unsure where to seek help. Our physiotherapists are eager to help you recover toward better health and wellness.
Call Physio For Life today to get started.