Vertigo is a condition where a person feels as if the world around them is spinning or swaying. It is typically worsened when the head is moved. Vertigo is the most common type of dizziness.
This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties walking. The most common diseases that result in vertigo are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis, and Ménière's disease. Other causes include stroke, brain tumors, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, migraines, trauma, and uneven pressures between the middle ears. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is more likely in someone who gets repeated episodes of vertigo with movement and is otherwise normal between these episodes. The episodes of vertigo should last less than one minute.
Dizziness affects approximately 20–40% of people at some point in time, while about 7.5–10% have vertigo. About 5% have vertigo in a given year. It becomes more common with age and affects women two to three times more often than men. Vertigo accounts for about 2–3% of emergency department visits in the developed world.
Cornerstone Balance and Therapy Center has treated vertigo for many years and has had great success helping patients with this condition.