What is Vestibular Neuritis? Signs, Symptoms, Exercises and Treatment.

An inflammation or infection of the inner ear disrupts the vestibular nerve and makes it swollen. The vestibular nerve is responsible for sending sensory signals from the inner ear to the brain, inflammation in the nerve is known as vestibular neuritis. The unclear messages sent to the brain make the person feel off-balance thus causing vertigo dizziness. The stats of the latest survey reports that the condition is commonly found in many people irrespective of age and gender, but is very rarely found in children. What is Vestibular Neuritis treatment?

The vestibular nerve is responsible for maintaining balance and for hearing. Inflammation in the vestibular nerve affects its functioning and causes a disturbance in maintaining balance equilibrium. The sensory information is not communicated properly to the brain while making you feel dizzy. A simple viral infection caused due to cold or flu can trigger the condition.

The symptoms of Vestibular neuritis start diminishing after a few weeks. Generally, it has been observed Vestibular neuritis symptoms take about two to three weeks to subside completely. If the case becomes severe or complex, repeated episodes of vertigo bouts become an everyday case that may continue for up to several months.

You must have come across the term labyrinthitis when you ever talk about Vestibular neuritis. A majority of people get confused between the two conditions, but they are slightly different from each other.

The inner ear consists of two vestibular nerves, the inflammation in the one nerve is known as vestibular neuritis which disturbs the balance of the body. Whereas inflammation in both the nerves and cochlear nerve, responsible for balance and hearing is known as labyrinthitis. It can even lead to hearing impairment and tinnitus which is referred to as a ringing or whistling in the ear along with bouts of vertigo spells.

Vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, difficulties with balance, blurry vision or hearing impairment are some of the most common symptoms of vestibular neuritis. It is recommended to consult an expert neurologist on time for preventing the case to become more complex. Your doctor will carry out certain tests to diagnose the condition and would suggest the right vestibular neuritis exercises or vestibular neuritis therapy depending on the underlying cause. The accurate vestibular neuritis treatment helps in combating a situation much earlier. Seek medical help immediately as soon as you start experiencing vestibular neuritis symptoms. To understand the signs and symptoms of such a condition, let’s have a brief look at some of the most common vestibular neuritis symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms of Vestibular Neuritis

Vestibular Neuritis symptoms start appearing suddenly are found to be more intense at the initial stage. The spinning sensation caused due to vertigo is quite intense which affects the balance of a person. Vertigo and dizziness are the most severe symptoms of vestibular neuritis, which subside within a couple of days. But it makes the situation extremely difficult till the time it stays while creating hindrance in accomplishing daily chores. It may even get triggered due to movement in the head position after waking up from sleep. The symptoms start subsiding within a few weeks while allowing a person to recover completely with the right vestibular neuritis treatment at the right time. The vestibular neuritis symptoms can be acute or chronic, ranging from slight dizziness to rapid spinning sensations known as vertigo conditions. Apart from vertigo and dizziness, some other symptoms indicate the onset of vestibular neuritis in a patient.

Symptoms include:

1. Unsteadiness and balance difficulties
2. Blurry vision or difficulty with vision
3. Nausea
4. Vomiting
5. Difficulty in Concentration

Sometimes patients face difficulty in recognizing and describing the symptoms they are experiencing. Understanding the symptoms is quite necessary so that you can seek treatment on time which prevents the symptoms from getting complex. You will experience difficulty in concentrating and simple activities like walking in the market, using a laptop, etc. makes you feel tired, if you are experiencing vestibular neuritis. Consulting a doctor is recommended as he will help you with vestibular neuritis diagnosis and the underlying cause responsible for the same.

Vestibular Neuritis Diagnosis and Treatment

As you visit an expert neurologist, he would seek your complete medical history before asking you to undergo any tests. He would seek any serious causes of dizziness by asking you to undergo an MRI test and perform certain head movements.

Your doctor will prescribe you with certain antibiotics if you are diagnosed with Vestibular Neuritis due to infection to treat the underlying condition. Certain prescribed drugs help in reducing the vestibular neuritis symptoms to a greater extent.

Diphenhydramine, Meclizine, lorazepam, Diazepam (Valium) are some of the common medications prescribed by doctors that can help in controlling dizziness and nausea. If the symptoms don’t subside after a dosage of certain drugs, your doctor may suggest you undergo a vestibular neuritis therapy.

The vestibular rehabilitation therapy is generally recommended by doctors as a vestibular neuritis treatment. It involves a set of vestibular neuritis exercises which involves gentle movements of head and body. The balance exercises suggested by doctors help the brain to adjust with confusing signals. It is advised to practice certain balance exercises under expert guidance and supervision.

Regular practice of certain exercises like Brandt-Daroff exercises helps in alleviating the symptoms of vestibular neuritis. It allows your brain to adjust to the changes in your balance system. It is advised to practice the sets of vestibular neuritis exercises two to three times a day to show effective results.

An improvement in the condition is observed after a few days of regular vestibular neuritis exercise. The complete recovery from such a condition may take up to three weeks, but you may still experience bouts of dizziness for several months. Try to keep moving during the recovery process as it will help in regaining balance much faster. Your neurologist or physical therapist will guide you with the set of instructions to perform balance exercises safely and effectively at home.

Keep your calm if you are suffering from vestibular neuritis and seek medical help for diagnosing the underlying cause of such a condition. The right vestibular neuritis treatment helps in mitigating the symptoms and keeps its occurrence at the array.