Ears provide us with much more than mere hearing. Within the ear, the inner ear, to be exact, is our sense of balance. When you get an inner ear inflammation, problems are quick to ensue. That condition is called labyrinthitis and can be extremely annoying to deal with. Although it is becoming more and more frequent, causes are still unknown. Some experts claim it’s due to a virus or bacteriosis, while other cite stress and head trauma as the causes. One study suggests that it can stem from a common cold, as approximately 3 out of 10 people had cold symptoms before. Labyrinthitis remains one of the most misunderstood conditions. This is because its symptoms can be easy to ignore and mistake for other conditions. Because of this, the condition can go on and on, without the presence of sufficient treatment.
Dizziness
In the early stages of labyrinthitis, you may feel one of the many forms of dizziness. Dizziness can mean a lot of things, so it’s fairly easy to ignore its presence. Most people shun it to the side, thinking it’s a result of being tired or some other condition. Contrary to popular belief, dizziness due to labyrinthitis makes perfect sense. Your inner ear is unable to regulate balance, so you may wind it “overwhelming” to orientate. It’s important to see how the dizziness develops, to assess the situation.
Vertigo
Vertigo is the feeling of having objects around you move, but in reality – they aren’t now. This feeling may seem strange to the laymen, sure, but it makes sense. Your eyes register the movement of the objects. In sync with them are sensors which dictate your balance within the surroundings. Due to labyrinthitis, you may find it difficult to percept where the objects are around you. This may seem overwhelming, and it definitely is to take a sign that something is wrong. By notifying your doctor, you can discover labyrinthitis fairly fast and treat it.
Loss of balance
The inner ear is tasked with keeping your balance. Now, balance isn’t just something that is correlated with walking. You need balance in every single situation in life. It helps you with being aware of your position when you’re sitting, laying or something else. A lack of it may seem trouble. Beginning signs of labyrinthitis may include difficulties while walking. Also common are instances of patients having a hard time standing straight. Even when you’re sitting or laying, you may feel like you’re going to fall.
Perceived weakness in the legs
Because balance is most needed when walking, you may feel like your legs are giving up on you. This is why it’s so hard to notice labyrinthitis. The first thing everyone thinks of is that there is something wrong with their legs. Most patients describe this initial symptom as “my legs are not listening.” Although this feeling makes sense, it doesn’t actually stem from the legs. Legs are merely the means of your brain executing the walking motion. Due to labyrinthitis, it won’t be able to do so with almost no balance.
Fainting
Some people find the lack of orientation truly overwhelming. This may vary from individual to individual, as it is with every feeling or perception. For some, labyrinthitis may be so overwhelming and strange that they faint right away. This happens due to the brain wanting to relieve you from the stress. Of course, fainting may bring worth other dangers. Aside from injuring your head while falling, you may cause an accident to others. This is especially true when it comes to driving.
Nausea and vomiting
Dizziness and nausea are close friends, and they even coexist in many conditions. When you’re suffering from labyrinthitis, you may feel the lack of balance in your stomach too. Your brain will try to focus on your surroundings too much, but your body simply won’t be able to follow. Therefore, you might experience the urge to throw up, especially if you’re waking. If you’ve been experiencing this, don’t hesitate to take a break and relax. In case this happens too often, contact a medical expert to assess the situation.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the name of a ringing in your ear. It’s not merely a sound; it creeps into every other sound or thing you can register. It messes up with your auditory perception and causes incredibly headaches. People who’ve experienced it call it the worst pain imaginable. When suffering from labyrinthitis, you may experience this notorious ringing sound. It would be best to get medical help immediately, as you won’t be fit to perform daily tasks and normal action. It can even jeopardize the safety of others in the process.
Temporary loss of hearing
Due to labyrinthitis, you may experience the inflammation not being very dormant. What does this mean? Well, it’s basically the inflammation spreading to adjacent areas of your head. The first thing in the line of attack will be your auditory perception. The eardrum and other parts will feel the inflammation. By allowing the inflammation to spread, you will definitely lose your auditory sense. It may vary from large amounts to small ones, but it’s never pleasant.
Difficulty focusing your eyes
When you’re feeling a lack of balance, your next resort would be finding your way with your eyes. This is the logical step taken by your body to decrease the damage done by labyrinthitis. You might not have to focus your eyes. Thus, you might experience pain when trying to cast your eyes on something.
Migraines
Since labyrinthitis can go for weeks if untreated, it can be a real burden on your body. The constant pain due to the inflammation may cause frequent and nasty headaches. On a constant basis, they may become unbearable. In order to put this agony to an end, seek the help of a medical expert. Sudden headaches are fairly common, but if they persist – something is really wrong.