In our local use of Punjabi language, common symptoms of dizziness, vertigo and syncope are called ‘chakkar’ (ਚੱਕਰ). It is very important to identify your symptoms for a more accurate diagnosis and management.
VERTIGO specifically is a feeling of spinning (ਸਰ ਯਾ ਆਸ ਪਾਸ ਕਮਰੇ ਦਾ ਗੋਲ ਗੋਲ ਘੁੰਮਣਾ ), swaying and tilting (ਇਕ ਪਾਸੇ ਸਰ ਦਾ ਝੁਕਣਾ ਯਾ ਡੋਲਣਾ ਪ੍ਰਤੀਤ ਹੋਣਾ), and off balance (ਝੂਟਾ ਆ ਕੇ ਡਿੱਗਣ ਦਾ ਭਏ ਲੱਗਣਾ). These symptoms are often associated with nausea and vomiting (ਦਿਲ ਕੱਚਾ ਹੋਣਾ ਯਾ ਉਲਟੀ ਆਣਾ), headache and sensitivity to light and noise (ਉੱਚੀ ਆਵਾਜ਼ ਯਾ ਤੇਜ਼ ਰੋਸ਼ਨੀ ਨਾਲ ਸਰ ਦਰਦ ਹੋਣਾ), sweating (ਤਰੇਲੀਆਂ ਆਣਾ ), etc.
It is very common to blame symptoms of vertigo on cervical spondylitis. However, it is very rare to find the symptoms (described above) of ‘vertigo’ associated with cervical spondylitis. The most common causes of vertigo are related to inner ear.
- BPPV or Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
- Meniere disease
- Vestibular neuritis
- Vestibular migraine
Other causes may include:
- Head injury
- Some problems associated with brain
If there are symptoms of vertigo, please do also check for hearing loss and tinnitus (ਕੰਨੋਂ ਘੱਟ ਸੁਨਣਾ ਯਾ ਕੰਨ ਵਿਚ ਸ਼ਾਂ ਸ਼ਾਂ ਦੀ ਆਵਾਜ਼ ਆਣਾ) or associated one-sided, pulsatile ‘migraine like headache’ (ਅੱਧੇ ਸਰ ਵਿਚ ਟੱਸ ਟੱਸ ਦਰਦ ਹੋਣਾ). The treatment varies drastically with a different diagnosis and a good description of your symptoms to the doctor may save you from unnecessary investigations.