Vertigo Treatment in Howrah: Causes, Symptoms and Complete Care Guide

Table of Contents

• What Is Vertigo?
• Vertigo vs Dizziness vs Lightheadedness
• Common Causes of Vertigo
  • 1. BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
  • 2. Meniere's Disease
  • 3. Vestibular Migraine
  • 4. Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis
  • 5. Other Causes
• Symptoms of Vertigo
• How Is Vertigo Diagnosed?
• Vertigo Treatment Options
  • 1. Epley Manoeuvre and Repositioning
  • 2. Vestibular Rehabilitation Exercises
  • 3. Medicines for Vertigo
• Living Safely With Vertigo: Home and Falls Prevention
• Red Flags: When to See a Doctor Urgently
• Why Choose Lords Health Care for Vertigo Treatment?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Get Relief From Vertigo Today

Does the room suddenly start spinning around you, even when you are sitting still? Do you feel as if you are turning, or the world is turning around you, when you turn over in bed or look up at a shelf? Does the spinning come with nausea, sweating, or a fear of falling? If this sounds familiar, you may have vertigo.

Vertigo is not a disease by itself. It is a symptom, a sign that something in the balance system of your inner ear or brain is not working properly. It is very common, it affects people of all ages, and it is very treatable. This guide explains vertigo treatment in Howrah in simple words: what vertigo really is, how it is different from ordinary dizziness, the common causes, the symptoms, how an ENT doctor or neurologist diagnoses it, the treatments that work (including the Epley manoeuvre and balance exercises), and how to stay safe at home while you recover.

What Is Vertigo?

Vertigo is the feeling that you, or the world around you, is spinning or moving, when nothing is actually moving. It is different from feeling light-headed or faint. In vertigo, the spinning is real to you: the room turns, the floor seems to tilt, and you feel you may fall.

The feeling comes from your balance system. Deep inside each ear there is a small organ called the vestibular system. It has tiny fluid-filled tubes and small crystals that tell your brain where your head is and how it is moving. Your eyes and the feeling in your feet and joints also send balance signals to the brain. When these signals disagree, for example when the inner ear sends a wrong signal, the brain gets confused, and you feel the spinning of vertigo.

A vertigo attack can last from a few seconds to several hours, or even days. Some people have one attack and never have another. Others have attacks that come again and again over weeks or months. The good news is that most causes of vertigo are not dangerous, and most can be treated well once the cause is found.

Vertigo vs Dizziness vs Lightheadedness

Many people use the words vertigo, dizziness, and lightheadedness to mean the same thing. The difference matters, because the cause and the treatment are different.

Vertigo: A spinning feeling, as if you or the room is turning. It often comes with nausea, vomiting, sweating, and a loss of balance. It is usually caused by a problem in the inner ear or the balance part of the brain. Turning your head, rolling over in bed, or looking up often makes it worse.

Dizziness (general): A vague feeling of being unsteady, off-balance, or woozy, without a clear spinning feeling. It can come from many causes: low blood pressure, dehydration, anaemia, low blood sugar, or medicines.

Lightheadedness: A feeling that you might faint, as if your head is floating or empty. It often comes with blurred vision or a ringing in the ears, and it is usually caused by low blood pressure, standing up too fast, dehydration, or heart problems.

When you describe your symptoms to a doctor, try to say exactly what you feel: is the room spinning, or do you feel faint? Does it happen when you move your head? How long does it last? These details help the doctor find the cause much faster.

Common Causes of Vertigo

Vertigo has several common causes. Most of them come from the inner ear. A few come from the brain or from other health problems.

1. BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)

BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo, and the easiest to treat. The name sounds complicated, but the problem is simple. Inside the inner ear there are tiny crystals, called otoconia, that sit on a small membrane. Sometimes these crystals come loose and fall into one of the fluid-filled tubes of the balance organ. When you move your head, the loose crystals move too, and they send a wrong signal to the brain. The result is a short, intense spinning feeling.

BPPV attacks usually last less than a minute. They are triggered by a change in head position: rolling over in bed, getting up from bed, looking up at a shelf, or bending down. Many people wake up with BPPV in the morning, when they first turn in bed. It is more common after the age of 50, and it can follow a head injury or a long period of bed rest. The good news is that BPPV can often be cured in one or two sittings with a simple head movement treatment called the Epley manoeuvre, which moves the loose crystals back to their proper place.

2. Meniere's Disease

Meniere's disease is a long-term problem of the inner ear, caused by a build-up of fluid pressure inside the ear. It causes attacks of vertigo that last from 20 minutes to several hours, along with three other symptoms: a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear (tinnitus), a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, and hearing loss in the affected ear that comes and goes at first, then slowly becomes permanent.

Meniere's disease usually affects one ear. The attacks can come in clusters, several in a week, then nothing for months. There is no single cure, but the attacks can be reduced with a low-salt diet, medicines that reduce fluid in the ear, and avoiding triggers like stress, lack of sleep, and certain foods. If hearing loss is getting worse, an ENT doctor should check it early.

3. Vestibular Migraine

Vestibular migraine is migraine that affects the balance system instead of, or as well as, causing a headache. Many people with vestibular migraine have no headache at all during the attack. They have vertigo that lasts from a few minutes to a few hours, often with sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and a feeling of being off-balance for a day or two afterwards.

This type of vertigo is closely linked to migraine, and it is often missed, because the patient has no headache. If you have a history of migraine, or if your family has migraine, and you now have repeated vertigo attacks, vestibular migraine is a likely cause. The treatment is the same as migraine treatment: finding and avoiding triggers, keeping a regular sleep routine, and preventive medicines when attacks are frequent. You can read our guide on migraine treatment in Howrah to understand how migraine is diagnosed and treated.

4. Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis

Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis are inflammations of the inner ear or the balance nerve, usually caused by a viral infection, often after a cold or flu. Labyrinthitis affects both the balance organ and the hearing, so it causes vertigo along with hearing loss and ringing in the ear. Vestibular neuritis affects only the balance nerve, so it causes vertigo without hearing loss.

The vertigo in these conditions is severe and sudden. It can last for several days, and the person feels constantly spinning and sick, unable to walk properly. It gradually improves over days to weeks as the brain learns to compensate, but a feeling of unsteadiness can linger for weeks or months. Medicines can control the nausea and spinning in the first few days, and balance exercises help the brain recover faster.

5. Other Causes

A few other problems can also cause vertigo:

• Low blood pressure and dehydration: Standing up too fast, not drinking enough water, or taking blood pressure medicines can cause dizziness and a spinning feeling, especially in older people. You can read our guide on hypertension treatment in Howrah to understand how blood pressure is managed.
• Low blood sugar and diabetes: Low blood sugar can cause dizziness, sweating, and shaking. People with diabetes can also develop nerve damage that affects balance. Our guide on diabetes treatment in Howrah explains how diabetes is managed.
• Thyroid problems: Both an overactive and an underactive thyroid can cause dizziness and unsteadiness. A simple blood test can check this. Read our guide on the thyroid test in Howrah.
• Medicines: Some medicines, including certain antibiotics, water tablets, and medicines for blood pressure and seizures, can cause dizziness as a side effect. Never stop a medicine on your own; ask your doctor first.
• Anaemia and vitamin deficiency: Low haemoglobin and low vitamin B12 or vitamin D can cause dizziness and unsteadiness. A full body checkup in Shibpur can find these problems.
• Acoustic neuroma: A rare, slow-growing, non-cancerous tumour on the balance nerve. It causes vertigo along with hearing loss and ringing in one ear that slowly gets worse. It needs a scan and specialist care.

Symptoms of Vertigo

The main symptom of vertigo is a spinning feeling, but it rarely comes alone. Common symptoms include:

• A feeling that you or the room is spinning, turning, or tilting
• Nausea and vomiting during an attack
• Sweating and a pale face
• Loss of balance, stumbling, or a fear of falling
• Abnormal eye movements (nystagmus), where the eyes jerk from side to side
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or a feeling of fullness in the ear
• Hearing loss in one ear (in Meniere's disease and labyrinthitis)
• Headache, sensitivity to light and sound (in vestibular migraine)
• A feeling of being off-balance or unsteady between attacks

Keep a note of your attacks: when they happen, how long they last, what triggers them, and what other symptoms come with them. This diary is extremely helpful for your doctor.

How Is Vertigo Diagnosed?

Vertigo is diagnosed mainly from your history and a physical examination. There is no single blood test for vertigo. The ENT doctor or neurologist will ask detailed questions: when the spinning started, how long each attack lasts, what triggers it, whether your hearing has changed, whether you have a headache, and what medicines you take.

The doctor will then do a few simple tests:

• Dix-Hallpike test: The doctor moves your head quickly to one side while you lie down, and watches your eyes for the jerking movement that confirms BPPV. This test takes less than a minute and is the key test for BPPV.
• Balance and walking tests: The doctor watches how you stand and walk, with your eyes open and closed, to check your balance.
• Hearing test (audiometry): A simple test that checks whether your hearing is normal, and whether one ear is worse than the other. It is important in Meniere's disease and labyrinthitis.
• Eye movement test: The doctor watches your eye movements, which give clues about whether the problem is in the inner ear or in the brain.
• Blood tests: Blood sugar, thyroid, haemoglobin, and vitamin levels are checked when the cause is not clear.
• Scans: A CT or MRI scan of the brain is not needed for every vertigo patient. It is needed when there are warning signs: weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, double vision, severe headache, or vertigo that does not improve. At Lords Health Care, CT scan facilities are available in-house when the doctor advises a scan.

Vertigo Treatment Options

Vertigo treatment depends on the cause. There is no single medicine that cures all vertigo. The right treatment starts with the right diagnosis.

1. Epley Manoeuvre and Repositioning

The Epley manoeuvre is a series of slow head movements done by the doctor, or taught to the patient, to move loose crystals out of the balance tube and back to their proper place. It takes about 15 minutes, it is painless, and it cures BPPV in most people in one or two sittings. The doctor will first confirm BPPV with the Dix-Hallpike test, then do the manoeuvre.

After the Epley manoeuvre, the doctor may ask you to sleep with your head raised for a night or two, and to avoid quick head movements for a day. Some people feel mild dizziness for a day after the treatment, and that is normal. The crystals can come loose again, so BPPV can return months or years later, but the manoeuvre can simply be repeated.

Do not try the Epley manoeuvre at home on your own until a doctor has shown you how to do it. Doing it wrong can make the spinning worse, and it is not the right treatment for every type of vertigo.

2. Vestibular Rehabilitation Exercises

Vestibular rehabilitation is a set of balance exercises that train the brain to compensate for a weak balance organ. It is the main treatment for vertigo after labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis, and it helps in Meniere's disease and in long-standing unsteadiness.

The exercises are simple and done at home: moving your eyes from side to side while keeping your head still, turning your head slowly while looking at a fixed point, standing with your feet together with your eyes open and then closed, and walking in a straight line while turning your head. At first the exercises make the dizziness worse, and that is expected. Over days and weeks, the brain adapts, and the dizziness fades.

A physiotherapist or the ENT doctor will teach you the right exercises for your problem and show you how to do them safely, starting slowly and increasing gradually. Doing them regularly, twice a day, is the key to recovery.

3. Medicines for Vertigo

Medicines can control the symptoms of vertigo, but they do not cure the cause, and they should not be taken for a long time without a doctor's advice.

• Anti-vertigo medicines (such as betahistine and cinnarizine) reduce the spinning feeling and help the balance system settle. They are used for a few weeks during recovery.
• Anti-sickness medicines control nausea and vomiting during a severe attack.
• Water tablets (diuretics) reduce fluid pressure in the inner ear in Meniere's disease.
• Migraine preventive medicines are used for vestibular migraine, when attacks are frequent.
• Steroids are sometimes given for a short course in severe vestibular neuritis.

Medicines that suppress the balance system, like some anti-sickness tablets, can actually slow down recovery if taken for too long, because they stop the brain from learning to compensate. So the doctor will usually stop them after the first few days and start balance exercises instead. Never take someone else's vertigo medicine or increase the dose yourself.

Living Safely With Vertigo: Home and Falls Prevention

Vertigo makes you unsteady, and a fall can cause a fracture or a head injury, especially in older people. While you are being treated, take these precautions at home:

• Get up slowly. Sit on the edge of the bed for a minute before standing, and stand for a minute before walking, especially in the morning.
• Use support. Hold on to furniture, walls, or a railing when you walk during an attack. Use a walking stick if the doctor advises it.
• Keep the floor clear. Remove loose rugs, wires, and clutter from walkways. Keep the rooms well lit at night, and keep a torch or night light near the bed.
• Avoid heights and ladders. Do not climb on a stool or a ladder while you have vertigo. Do not drive during an attack, and do not drive until your doctor says it is safe.
• Stay hydrated and eat on time. Drink enough water and do not skip meals, especially breakfast. Low blood pressure and low blood sugar make dizziness worse.
• Do your balance exercises daily. Even on days you feel better, keep doing the exercises your doctor taught you. They are what make the recovery last.
• Tell your family. Let the people at home know that you have vertigo, so they can help you during an attack and watch for falls.

A full body checkup in Shibpur can also find related problems like low vitamin D, anaemia, or high blood pressure that make dizziness worse.

Red Flags: When to See a Doctor Urgently

Most vertigo is not dangerous, but sudden vertigo can sometimes be a sign of a stroke or another serious brain problem. Go to the emergency department at once if you notice any of these:

• Vertigo with weakness or numbness on one side of the body or face
• Vertigo with difficulty speaking, slurred speech, or confusion
• Vertigo with double vision, loss of vision, or a drooping eyelid
• Vertigo with a sudden, worst-ever headache
• Vertigo after a head injury
• Vertigo with fever, stiff neck, and vomiting
• Vertigo that does not improve after a few days, or that keeps getting worse
• A first attack of vertigo after the age of 60, especially with any of the symptoms above
• Fainting or loss of consciousness along with vertigo

Sudden vertigo with weakness on one side of the body can be a stroke, a medical emergency where every minute counts. You can read about it in our guide on stroke treatment in Howrah. If you are unsure whether your vertigo is an inner-ear problem or something more serious, get checked at once.

Why Choose Lords Health Care for Vertigo Treatment?

Vertigo needs the right specialist, and the right test, not just a tablet for dizziness. At Lords Health Care in Shibpur, Howrah, vertigo is treated by the ENT department, which runs its ENT OPD every Tuesday and Friday. The ENT team checks your ears, your hearing, and your balance, and does the Dix-Hallpike test and the Epley manoeuvre when BPPV is the cause.

When the cause is neurological, such as vestibular migraine, the neurology department is led by Dr. Ankur Banik, Consultant Neurologist, who manages migraine, stroke, and other neurological conditions. You can read about the neurology team in our guide on the best neurologist in Howrah.

The hospital offers complete care under one roof. CT scan facilities are available in-house when a scan is needed to rule out serious causes. The medicine department, led by Dr. Sudip Banerjee, manages related conditions like diabetes and hypertension that often occur alongside vertigo.

Lords Health Care is ISO 9001:2015 and NABH certified, which means its systems for patient safety and quality of care are independently checked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can vertigo be cured completely?

Most causes of vertigo can be cured or controlled very well. BPPV is often cured in one or two sittings with the Epley manoeuvre. Vertigo after a viral infection usually improves over weeks as the brain compensates, helped by balance exercises. Meniere's disease and vestibular migraine cannot be cured permanently, but their attacks can be made much less frequent and much milder with the right treatment and lifestyle changes.

How long does a vertigo attack last?

It depends on the cause. A BPPV attack lasts less than a minute. A Meniere's attack lasts from 20 minutes to several hours. A vestibular migraine attack lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. Vertigo from labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis can last for several days at first, then gradually improves over weeks. If your vertigo lasts longer than a few days without improving, see a doctor.

Is vertigo dangerous?

Most vertigo is not dangerous, and it comes from a problem in the inner ear. But vertigo can be dangerous in two ways: it can cause a fall, which can lead to a fracture or a head injury, and it can rarely be a sign of a stroke. That is why sudden vertigo with weakness, difficulty speaking, double vision, or a severe headache needs emergency care at once.

What is the Epley manoeuvre, and does it hurt?

The Epley manoeuvre is a series of slow head movements that move loose crystals out of the balance tube in the inner ear. It takes about 15 minutes, it is painless, and it is done by the doctor in the clinic. It can briefly make the spinning worse during the manoeuvre, but that passes in less than a minute. Most people with BPPV feel much better after one or two sittings.

When should I see an ENT doctor for vertigo?

See an ENT doctor if your vertigo comes again and again, if it lasts more than a few days, if it comes with hearing loss, ringing in the ear, or a feeling of fullness in the ear, if it stops you from working or walking safely, or if ordinary medicines for dizziness do not help. At Lords Health Care, the ENT OPD runs every Tuesday and Friday.

Get Relief From Vertigo Today

A room that spins when you turn in bed, dizziness that comes again and again, and a fear of falling are not just a part of getting older. They are vertigo, and in most cases it is treatable. A correct diagnosis, the right treatment, and a few balance exercises can change your life.

If you are in Howrah and the spinning keeps coming back, visit the ENT department at Lords Health Care. The ENT team will listen to your history, check your ears and your balance, explain your diagnosis in simple words, and build a treatment plan that fits you.

Lords Health Care
13/3, Circular 2nd Bye Lane, Kona Expressway, Shibpur, Howrah - 711102 (Near Nabanna)
Phone: +91-8272904444 | Toll-Free: 18003090895
Website: www.lordshealthcare.org
ENT OPD: Every Tuesday and Friday

Book your vertigo consultation today and take the first step toward steady days and a better life.