What is vertigo? It is quite a common condition that involves your sense of balance and most people experience it at some point in their life.
There are actually a lot of misconceptions concerning vertigo and dizziness. This is because both conditions are very much alike that people can’t help but be confused about the two of them sometimes.
In its simplest form, vertigo is actually a condition wherein the patient becomes dizzy, with certain changes that do not occur in normal conditions. When it comes to dizziness and vertigo, one can say that all types of vertigo can be termed as dizziness. However, you cannot say that all types of dizziness experienced by people are vertigo. Vertigo, in its truest form, is a more severe form of dizziness, which can lead to a condition known as movement hallucination.
Now, as mentioned above, there are different types of this disorder you can experience.
Benign Positional Vertigo, for instance, is a type of peripheral vestibular disorder. When left untreated or unattended, the condition can worsen, and can even lead to hearing loss and tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a condition wherein the patient experiences ringing in his or her ears. There are even cases when the patient’s eyes would jerk backward and forward in a seemingly uncontrollable fashion.
There is also the condition known as Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo, or BPPV. This is actually one of the most common types of the condition, which is associated with the inner ear. What happens here is that the balance detectors of the patient’s ears are actually dislodged from their normal position. With these crystalline structures misplaced, the patient’s sense of balance is then greatly affected.
A lot of studies have been conducted on the disorder to understand what is vertigo, and it is actually determined that vertigo is at the top of the list of complaints experienced by people worldwide. The other two are actually low back pain and headaches. This is how common vertigo is. When a person complains of this condition, that person is not really diagnosed for the condition itself, since it is usually a symptom for a more serious condition. Rather, the patient most likely is made to take a vestibular suppressant and is duly given a prescription for it.
However, it is very important for the patient to consult his physician if he experiences a lot of episodes of vertigo already. Vertigo can even be a symptom of a condition that involves the brain itself. So, it really helps to seek medical help before the condition might worsen.