Crystals in The Ear: That Helps Against Vertigo

You suffer from vertigo? Crystals in your ear could be the cause! What this means and what you can do about it, you can find out here.

What are crystals in the ear? That’s what it is

In the organ of equilibrium (vestibular apparatus) there are small crystals, so-called otoliths. If some of these otoliths become detached in the inner ear, they enter the vestibular system and stimulate the sensory cells. These transmit movement information to the brain, but this information does not correspond to the visual stimuli and thus causes dizziness. The affected person may also feel nauseous or even vomit.

This so-called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPLS) occurs when a person changes position and usually ends by itself after a few seconds. One of the symptoms of this benign positional vertigo is also a seizure-like occurrence. It often occurs repeatedly during certain movements, such as a certain head rotation. Whether you have crystals in your ear should be clarified by a doctor, because there can be other causes for positional vertigo, such as inflammation in the inner ear or injuries to the head.

Crystals in the ear: That helps!

There are some liberation maneuvers to get the otoliths out of the archways again. The exercises can be repeated several times a day.

Semont maneuver

1. The affected person sits upright on a couch with his feet hanging in the air.
2. The head is turned by 45° to the healthy side so that the affected ear is facing the doctor.
3. The body is then quickly turned 90° to the side of the affected ear, so the patient is looking up at the ceiling. The position is maintained until the rotation vertigo stops.
4. Then the body is moved to the other – the healthy – side. The head position remains as it is.
5. After a few minutes, the patient sits in the starting position and remains in this position for a few more minutes.

Epley maneuver

1. Sit upright – with legs stretched out – on a lounger. Positioned so that the head would protrude over the couch when lying down.
2. Turn the head 45° to the affected side.
3. Lie down quickly on your back, with the head hanging down at an angle, beyond the couch. Now the dizziness should appear.
4. Wait until the dizziness has subsided.
5. Turn the head 90° to the healthy side, wait at least 60 seconds until the dizziness has subsided.
6. Turn the rest of the body as well – do not change the position of the head.
7. Wait until the dizziness has disappeared, then slowly straighten from the lateral position.