If you’ve ever felt like the room is spinning, even while standing still, you know how unsettling vertigo can be. For some people, it’s a quick dizzy spell. For others, it can feel like the ground is shifting beneath them, making even simple tasks feel impossible.
As an ENT specialist, I often meet patients who wonder, “Could this be coming from my ears?”
In many cases, the answer is yes.
Your inner ear plays a crucial role in helping you stay balanced. When that system is disrupted, it can cause sensations of spinning, unsteadiness, or motion that isn’t really happening. In fact, inner ear issues are behind nearly half of all dizziness complaints.
What Is Vertigo, Really?
The word “dizziness” is used often, but it means different things to different people. Vertigo is more specific. It’s the sensation that either you or your surroundings are moving when they’re not. Many people describe it as the feeling you get after spinning and suddenly stopping; like the world is still going in circles.
Vertigo can show up with other symptoms too, like nausea, vomiting, difficulty walking, a jerking movement of the eyes (called nystagmus), ringing in the ears, hearing changes, and blurry vision when you move. Some episodes last just a few minutes. Others can go on for hours or even days.
How Does the Inner Ear Control Balance?
Inside your ear are tiny structures that help your brain understand motion. The semicircular canals detect head rotation. Two other parts — the utricle and saccule — respond to gravity and straight movements, like going up in an elevator or walking forward.
These structures send constant signals to your brain, working alongside your eyes and muscles to keep you balanced. If something interrupts that flow of information, your brain gets confused, and that confusion often feels like vertigo.
When Should You See a Doctor?
Most vertigo is not dangerous, but some signs mean you should seek medical care quickly. These include a sudden or severe headache, trouble walking, fainting, vision or speech issues, or symptoms that last for more than an hour. If your symptoms keep coming back or you suspect they are ear-related, an ENT specialist can help. We work closely with audiologists to do detailed balance tests, understand what’s happening in the inner ear, and guide treatment.
Common Ear-Related Causes of Vertigo
Here are some of the most common inner ear conditions that can trigger vertigo:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): Tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear can shift out of place and end up where they should not be. This confuses the balance system and causes short, intense spinning episodes, often when turning over in bed or looking up.
- Meniere’s Disease: This involves a buildup of fluid in the inner ear and causes episodes of vertigo, along with ringing in the ears, hearing changes, and a feeling of fullness in one ear.
- Vestibular Neuronitis and Labyrinthitis: Usually caused by a viral infection, these conditions affect the balance nerve or the whole inner ear. They cause sudden, severe vertigo. Labyrinthitis also includes hearing loss.
- Vestibular Migraine: This is more common than many realise. Vertigo may come with or without a headache, and often includes light sensitivity or visual changes. Many people who experience this have a history of migraine.
- Acoustic Neuroma: A non-cancerous growth on the balance nerve. It’s rare but can cause vertigo, hearing loss, and ringing in one ear.
What Does Treatment Look Like?
Treatment depends on the cause. For sudden, short-term vertigo, medications like antihistamines or anti-nausea drugs can help. If the problem is crystal-related, we use special head movements like the Epley maneuver to reposition them.
Many people also benefit from vestibular therapy, a type of physical therapy that retrains the brain and body to manage balance better. In more chronic conditions, we might also discuss dietary changes, such as reducing salt for Meniere’s disease, or cutting back on caffeine, sugar, and processed foods. Staying hydrated, eating regularly, and managing stress are all part of the recovery process.
In rare cases, such as a tumour or structural issue, surgery might be needed. But that’s not where we begin.
One Step at a Time
Vertigo can feel overwhelming. But in most cases, it’s treatable, especially when we identify the cause early. If you or someone you love is dealing with persistent dizziness or a spinning sensation, please don’t brush it off. There are answers. There is help!
Book a consultation with Dr. Shree Rao. Let’s understand what your inner ear is trying to tell you — and take the next step together!
