Do you need treatment for Vestibular Migraine?

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

BPPV is characterised by periods of vertigo and dizziness, brought on by head movements. The severe nature of the symptoms, and the ease of which they are brought on, makes it a very debilitating condition for sufferers.

Physical tests and a subjective history are generally all that is needed in order to identify BPPV as the cause of your vertigo. These tests are designed to assess structures in the inner-ear, which is known to be the underlying cause and mechanism of BPPV.

In cases where these tests are unable to identify the true cause, or if conventional BPPV treatment isn’t effective, there is another option.

Hypertension Headache

Headache is a commonly described symptom of hypertension, or high blood pressure, but the link between the two has not been accurately established. GP guidelines still encourage a headache history to be used as an assessment tool for hypertension, even though it has only been confirmed that headaches are commonly present in patients who reach ‘hypertensive crisis’ (Assarzadegan, Asadollahi, Hesami, Aryani, Mansouri, & Beladi Moghadam, 2013).

Blood pressure readings of 140-160/90-99 mmHg indicate a diagnosis of ‘mild hypertension’ and there has been a reported link to headache symptoms in this population (Hannson, Smith, & Reeves, 2000). 10% of the Sydney population have hypertension, with more prevalence in people aged over 75 (Statistics, 2018).

Vertigo Cervical Headache

Vertigo Cervical Headaches, commonly known as Vestibular Migraines, are often overlooked as a cause of dizziness, loss of balance and vertigo. Patients who experience these symptoms are often misdiagnosed with BPPV, however when treatment is ineffective, Vertigo Cervical Headache is a likely diagnosis. As well as dizziness and vertigo symptoms, patients may experience the classic migraine symptoms.

Soreness or stiffness in the neck is commonly described by patients and can be an indicator of more severe symptoms. Attacks are often triggered by changes in visual inputs, like; bright lights, flickering lights, or visual disturbances.

As opposed to the secondary causes of vertigo symptoms, like BPPV or Meniere’s disease, vertigo cervical headaches are thought to be caused by sensitivities in the brainstem.