Why Do Ear Crystals Cause Vertigo Symptoms?
Medically reviewed by John Carew, MDMedically reviewed by John Carew, MD
Ear crystals, or canaliths, are calcium crystals that support the vestibular system in your inner ear. This system regulates your balance and spatial orientation. When ear crystals get dislodged from their proper place, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) results.
BPPV can make you sensitive to movements that normally do not affect you. This is known as vertigo. Vertigo is the feeling of moving, spinning, or being off balance even if you are still.
Vertigo can be a symptom of BPPV or many other health problems. Getting a diagnosis can help you treat the cause of the problem. It can also help you determine whether your right or left ear has loose crystals, which can help in treatment.
This article describes how ear crystals affect balance and other symptoms they can cause. It also explains treatments and when to seek medical care.
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Ear Crystals and Effect on Balance
Balance problems, or vertigo, can be a symptom of dislodged ear crystals. Ear crystals help two parts of your inner ear, called the utricle and saccule, sense head tilt and movement. They act like weights that slide with changes in head position. This makes you sensitive to gravity so you can keep your balance.
Ear crystals are held in place by a jelly-like membrane in your ear. A blow or other trauma to your head can dislodge the crystals, allowing them to shift to another part of your ear. When ear crystals are dislodged, they can cause you to become sensitive to movements that normally don't affect you when your ear crystals are where they belong.
This type of vertigo—benign paroxysmal positional vertigo—is called "benign" because it does not worsen over time. "Paroxysmal" means that symptoms come and go. "Positional" means that symptoms are triggered by a change in head position.
The problem affects your balance. The perception of movement, even though it doesn't exist, can interfere with your ability to perform simple activities like walking during an episode.
Other Symptoms Related to Ear Crystals
Symptoms related to ear crystals can vary by individual. Factors such as the speed of head movement, the volume of ear crystals moved, and your sensitivity to motion can affect the intensity of your symptoms.
In addition to problems with balance, ear crystals can cause the following symptoms:
A sensation of spinning or moving that often starts suddenly
A sensation of the world spinning around you
Nausea and vomiting
Hearing loss
Nystagmus (an eye movement disorder characterized by rapid, involuntary eye movements that can appear as if your eyes are jumping or twitching in certain directions)
Symptoms can last a few seconds to differ. Common triggers are rolling over in bed, tilting your head up to look at something, or bending your head.
Why Do Some People Have More Ear Crystals and Complications Than Others?
While the cause of problematic ear crystals is often unknown, the issue affects more women than men. Having certain health conditions, such as the following, may also increase the risk of ear crystals dislodging, resulting in vertigo:
Head trauma
Osteoporosis (a condition of decreased bone mass and bone mineral density)
How to Dislodge Ear Crystals at Home
Loose ear crystals are typically easy to treat. Your healthcare provider can determine whether your right or left ear is affected, which can be essential in administering treatment. Consult with your healthcare practitioner before treating ear crystals at home since symptoms of vertigo may be signs of a more serious health condition.
With or without treatment, symptoms can come and go, but they typically resolve within one to three months in about 50% of people with BPPV. However, it can be difficult to endure vertigo while waiting for it to improve. Conservative physical therapy treatments that involve neck and head maneuvers can help reduce the duration of potentially debilitating symptoms.
Exercises to Try
Half-Somersault Exercise
The half-somersault is an exercise you do on your own that begins in a kneeling position. After each positional change, allow any dizziness to subside before moving into the next position. If no dizziness occurs while in a position, hold the position for 15 seconds. The half-somersault exercise involves the following movements:
While kneeling, quickly tip your head up and back.
Assume the somersault position, with your chin tucked as close to your knee as possible.
Turn your head about 45 degrees toward the shoulder of the side with the worst vertigo symptoms, to face the elbow on that side.
Maintain your head at this 45-degree angle, with your head raised to back/shoulder level.
Maintain your head at 45 degrees while raising your head to the fully upright position.
Home Versions of Canalith Repositioning Procedures
Canalith repositioning procedures are typically performed by your healthcare provider. They involve specifically patterned head and trunk movements. This treatment is considered the gold standard for the treatment of BPPV.
While the initial Canalith procedures are administered by a healthcare provider, you may be instructed on how to perform the treatments at home. Research indicates that following up office treatments with home sessions is more effective than office treatments alone.
Vitamin D and Calcium
Research indicates that supplementation with over-the-counter vitamin D and calcium may be an effective treatment in patients with frequent attacks of BPPV, especially when serum vitamin D is subnormal. In a study group, people who took the supplements reported a 24% reduction in their rate of vertigo versus those who did not take the supplements.
Herbal Remedies and Supplements
The following natural home remedies have been proven to improve symptoms of vertigo, although these treatments do not cure or help dislodge the ear crystals:
Ginger: Ginger root contains essential oils and resins that treat vertigo-related nausea.
Ginkgo biloba: This Chinese herb helps resolve symptoms of vertigo by managing blood flow to your brain to relieve dizziness.
Lifestyle Changes
Since BPPV often resolves on its own over time, you may be advised to follow a watch-and-wait approach and use the following strategies to reduce symptoms and lower the number of BPPV episodes you experience:
Use two pillows in bed to raise your head.
Do not sleep on your affected side.
Rise slowly out of bed.
Avoid looking up.
Avoid bending over to pick things up.
Do not participate in exercises that use head rotation, such as swimming laps.
Follow a healthy diet, avoiding foods and beverages that are high in salt or sugar.
Limit or eliminate caffeine and alcohol.
Do not use tobacco products.
Drink adequate amounts of fluid to remain hydrated, spacing your water intake throughout the day to maintain consistent healthy levels.
Try stress-relieving strategies like breathing exercises for vertigo to cope with episodes of dizziness.
Learn More: How Vertigo Is Treated
Specialist-Driven Ear Crystals Treatment
Specialist-driven ear crystal treatments typically involve a series of head movements intended to move the dislodged ear crystals into a different part of your ear. Once repositioned, the ear crystals can dissolve, break up, or move to another part of your ear where they can't cause symptoms.
These treatments are highly effective. Many people achieve positive results with just one treatment, though repeat sessions may be necessary. Your healthcare provider may instruct you on ways to perform one or more of these techniques at home if ongoing treatment is needed.
Epley Maneuver
The Epley maneuver is a set of four specific head movements that are held for 30 seconds each. The procedure begins with sitting on the side of an exam table and involves the following movements:
Your healthcare provider rotates your head at a 45-degree angle toward the side of the body where you have the worst symptoms.
Your provider quickly pushes you back so you are lying with your shoulder blades touching the table.
Your head is positioned so it is facing the side of the body where you are experiencing the vertigo—at a 30-degree angle and lifted slightly off the table.
You are held in this position for up to two minutes until your dizziness subsides.
Your provider rotates your head 90 degrees in the other direction until it is approximately 30 degrees away from the table again.
You are held in this position for up to two minutes until the dizziness stops.
Your provider rolls you onto your side so that the side experiencing the worst vertigo is facing upward.
You are held in this position for up to two minutes until the dizziness stops.
Your provider returns you to the upright position.
Depending on your results, your healthcare provider may repeat the entire process as many as three times, until you experience symptom relief.
Semont Maneuver
The Semont maneuver is a treatment in which you begin sitting on the exam table, with your legs hanging off the edge, while your healthcare provider performs the following movements:
Your provider turns your head so that it is halfway between looking straight ahead and looking away from the side that causes the worst vertigo.
While still seated and with your feet still over the edge of the table, the provider quickly lowers the upper half of your body so you are lying on the side of your body in which the vertigo is worst. While in this position, your head will be on the table and you will be looking up at the ceiling. You will stay in this position for 30 seconds.
When the 30 seconds are up, the provider quickly shifts your upper body to the other side of the table, without stopping for you to sit upright in between. You’ll be looking up at the ceiling and will hold this position for another 30 seconds.
You are assisted back into the upright position.
Brandt-Daroff Exercise
The Brandt-Daroff exercise begins in an upright, seated position and involves the following movements:
Move into the lying position on one side with your nose pointed up at about a 45-degree angle.
Stay in this position for about 30 seconds (or until vertigo symptoms subside, whichever is longer), then quickly return to the seated position.
Quickly repeat the process on the other side.
Quickly return to your initial seated position.
Surgery
Surgery is rarely used and only after other treatments fail. One surgical option is called canal plugging. This treatment blocks the movement of ear crystals. While it works well, it comes with a rare risk of hearing loss.
Learn More: Causes of Vertigo and How It Is Treated
When to Schedule a Provider Visit
Symptoms of vertigo can have a significant impact on your daily life. Feeling unstable and dizzy can make daily activities complex and challenging. It can also increase your risk of slips and falls.
If you have feelings of disorientation, tilting, or spinning even when you are still, you should schedule a healthcare provider visit to discuss your symptoms. Dizziness and vertigo can occur as symptoms of many health problems. Your healthcare provider can help determine the cause of your dizziness.
Seek help immediately if you have vertigo with any of the following:
New or severe headache
Fever higher than 100.4 degrees F
Difficulty speaking or hearing
Weakness in your leg or arm
Persistent vomiting
You should also seek immediate medical treatment if you have vertigo and any of the following characteristics:
Older than 60 years
A stroke in the past
Risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, or diabetes
Summary
Dislodged ear crystals can disrupt the normal function of your inner ear's vestibular system. This system helps keep you balanced and aware of spatial relationships. When dislodged ear crystals interfere with its function, the problem causes BPPV, a type of vertigo. The effect can make it hard to maintain a normal balance because it makes you feel like you're moving when you're not.
Without treatment, BPPV often clears on its own, though it can take between one and three months. Getting a prompt diagnosis can help you get the treatment needed to reduce the time spent dealing with symptoms.
While you can relieve symptoms of nausea and vomiting caused by vertigo, treating the cause of the problem involves moving the ear crystals to a neutral position within the ear. BPPV responds well to treatments that involve a series of specific head and neck movements.
If you have dizziness or vertigo that comes and goes, contact your healthcare provider to get a proper diagnosis. While ear crystals are a common cause of vertigo, this issue is also tied to other health problems.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
