Login

Book online

Is this the reason for your unexplained dizzy spells?

Sheelah Woodhouse

PT, BScPT, Vestibular Physiotherapist

Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016
 

Answer these 4 questions and get help now.

Are you frustrated by doctors’ inability to find the cause of your dizziness?  It’s possible that you have vestibular migraines. Below are the four characteristics of vestibular migraines and what you can do to alleviate your suffering.

Migraines should give you a headache, not dizziness …right? If having a booming headache isn’t enough, approximately 30% of migraine sufferers also experience vestibular symptoms (dizziness, vertigo or imbalance) during their attacks. While the most common symptom of migraine is a headache, you can also have vestibular symptoms during a migraine without a headache at all. Some people who have had ‘typical’ migraine for years can then develop vestibular migraine. 

Do you have vestibular migraine?  

Vestibular migraine is becoming recognized as one of the most common causes of dizziness or vertigo. Your inner ears contain an organ called the vestibular labyrinth that senses your movements and balance, and sends this information along several pathways within the brain.

It is likely that for people who get dizziness as part of their migraines, the changes that happen in the brain during a migraine affect these vestibular parts of the ear or brain. 

Consider the following 4 questions:

1. Have you had at least five episodes of vestibular symptoms* of moderate or severe intensity, lasting 5 minutes to 72 hours?

*Vestibular symptoms include:  
a) spontaneous vertigo – which is a false sense of self-motion or motion of your surroundings that comes “out of the blue”;  
b) positional vertigo, occurring after a change of head position;
c) visually-induced vertigo, triggered by a complex or large moving visual stimulus;
d) head motion-induced vertigo;
e) head motion-induced dizziness with nausea, where the dizziness is characterized by a sensation of disturbed spatial orientation.

2. Do you experience any of the below during at least half of your migraines?

  • Headache with at least two of: pain located on only one side of the head, pulsating quality, pain of moderate or severe intensity or pain aggravated by routine physical activity
  • Sensitivity to light or sound (referred to as photophobia or phonophobia) 
  • Bright sparkling lights or zigzag lines in your vision, often with an area that seems to be altered or missing.

Blurry vision of park

3. Do you have a current or past history of migraine (as established by a medical doctor)?

4. Does your doctor think your symptoms aren’t better explained by a different diagnosis?

If you answered YES to these questions, you should talk to your healthcare professional about the possibility of vestibular migraine and treatment options.

There is hope

If your doctor isn’t familiar with vestibular migraine and how to treat it, ask to be referred to a migraine specialist. Many options exist for getting help with vestibular migraine and the prognosis is good. You should seek help because vestibular migraine is associated with a number of undesirable conditions, like:

  • Motion sensitivity
  • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo – an inner-ear problem
  • Anxiety and/or depression
  • Sleep problems
  • Lower quality of life measures

Treatment typically involves a combination of dietary and lifestyle modification to limit the risk of migraine, medication, and vestibular rehabilitation. Medication is your doctor’s department, but Lifemark can help with the rest.

Start taking control now! Visit www.lifemarkvestibular.ca today to find out more, and book an appointment with one of our vestibular rehabilitation therapists, who are available across the country.

Our therapists can help you talk to your healthcare provider about vestibular migraine. 

Click here to watch a series of videos on the vestibular system, the most common causes of vertigo, dizziness and balance issues, and how to find relief: http://bit.ly/2A0V3k1

For further reading on vestibular migraines:
• Vestibular Disorders Association article on vestibular migraine http://vestibular.org/migraine-associated-vertigo-mav  
• Vestibular Migraine: Diagnostic criteria Consensus document of the Barany Society and the International Headache Society  http://www.jvr-web.org/Download/Feature_22_4.pdf  
• International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHC-III) section A1.6.6  https://www.ichd-3.org/?s=Vestibular+migraine&lang=en  
* From: Furman JM et al. Vestibular migraine: clinical aspects and pathophysiology. Lancet Neurol 2014; 12: 706-15

 

Sheelah Woodhouse

PT, BScPT, Vestibular Physiotherapist

We can help you move and feel better.
Book an appointment today.

Let's keep in touch!

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.