Which activity causes vertigo for you?

Hi,

I’ve been suffering from vertigo for 8 years now and I still don’t understand what’s going on. It happens mostly when I’m standing, walking or running. However, I can ride a bicycle without any problem, I can swim without any problems even in the ocean with a lot of waves. And now I found out that I can even do ice skating just fine. Isn’t that weird ?

Any ideas what it could mean ? How are your experiences ?

Best regards
Frank

Walking mainly for me. Running and cycling are fine. I used to rollerskate a lot. Must try that again!!

I think cycling is fine because it combines your ears. Walking requires you to use each in turn.

I suspect one is dizzy as the expected motion isnt the one experienced, if that makes sense, due to the ear changing its character slightly over time so the brain has a hard time learning the signals. Imho it means at least of your ears is a little unstable or ‘noisy’. Otherwise you would be able to compensate and the dizziness would disappear. I think it’s less about fully repairing the damage than to stabilise the signals.

I suspect I have air in one of mine so you can imagine that would really mess up the sensors.

Can you please explain this further to me ? Never heard of it …

Walking employs very complex balance calculations that involve each ear in turn. The brain is always antcipating and when the immediate future doesn’t turn out to be sensed as exactly as expected you feel dizzy.

Fine, but isn’t the same true for cycling or skating ?

In cycling you combine senses. So maybe less impact but you have me stumped on skating. Makes want to try it!

Hello

I cannot cycle any more, the exertion brings on extreme exhaustion, shortness of breath, nausea and debilitating vertigo.I used to cycle every day to and from work and I am still very fit but sadly cycling is off limits now.

I hope all goes well for you.

Elevators! The Bain of my.existence.

Quite amazing how different people react

@Revolving: does it also happen when you cycle slowly?

@shazam: does this involve all types of elevators? Only long rides or also short ones?

Hello Frank. Yes it does but the faster I go the less wobbly I look but the more dizzy I am when I stop. If I cycle slowly I vere all over the place!

Frequent use, e.g. I can no longer live or work in an elevator building.

@shazam: so, you can use an elevator once or twice a Day, but not all the time?

@Revolving: how are other activities for you? Walking, running, flying, car driving, swimming. … ?

Hello Frank

I am ok walking, used to need a stick until nortriptyline, still not balanced but a whole lot better so carry a fold up stick in my bag just in case. As for anything more energetic they are all out, too much head turning for swimming, too exhausting for running! I used to go Nordic walking but I paid the price afterwards as over exertion is one of my main triggers. I now walk an average of 8 miles a day with my young dog, but anything that requires more exertion than that floors me. How about you?

Well done. Walking is excellent therapy.

YEs excertion is a trigger for me too. The strange thing for me is that on the bicycle as soon as i get minimum speed so that i don’t have to steer actively anymore the vertigo is gone. Swimming is also fine, but 1 hour on a rocking boat and the next 24 hours are hell. Any rocking movement is terrible. Sadly every …

My doctor says that keeping your head still, gaze forward (not down), is important. He told me not to walk with a friend because I was talking the whole time, looking back and forth to my friend and generally just moving my head too much. We also walked in the morning when the sun was too bright. Head motion and bright light are big triggers… Now I walk after 3:30pm, by myself (listen to audiobook) and wear a sombrero hat. I keep my gaze forward. He says a stationery cycle is better than outdoor cycling because you can keep your head still. I drink more fluids and do not walk in temperatures over 80 degrees as heat is a trigger for me. I notice that when I am doing a lot of preparation in the kitchen (looking “down” at recipes, chopping, washing dishes, getting ingredients out from high and low cupboards, spending 2-3 hours in the kitchen without sitting down, etc.) the nerves in my head get overstimulated. My upper lip vibrates, I have the beginnings of momentary vertigo and my bad ear can feel full. I need to sit and rest. So it may be what one is doing with head movement during exercise that is key. I noticed that my doctor, an otoneurologist who has migraines, always turns his whole upper body when he needs to turn his head. He never just moves his eyes or head around. And he uses a stationery bike. If you want to read more about my solutions, Vertigo Tales and Tastes: S G Blog Post: EYES AS TRIGGERS. Hope this is helpful. (vertigotalesandtastes.blogspot.com)

The concern I would have with that is that in the long term you want to habituate and retrain. Maybe this is impossible with an unstable ear but if it does ever settle down it seems to me you actually need to expose yourself to all stimuli so you can recalibrate and fully compensate.

Avoidance just extends the misery imho.

I recently read a Hain article that claims that you can compensate within two years after total ‘loss’ of one ear. Given no-one on here is losing an ear (read nerve cut - heaven forbid!) we should be far better off than that?

Where I think we have the challenge is if the plumbing of the ear is at fault that could no doubt block the brain from compensating until the issue settles down?

Amazing. For me it’s just the opposite. Stationary bikes are hell for me as I lack the physical Sensation. Quite amazing how different people react. What is also bad for me are movies where the camera is slowly pannIng or tilting

Sometimes there is judder in movies converted to PAL video as 25 frames does not go into 60 neatly. Imagine that might upset the sensitive.