Crystals in ear?

[Nancy5]

Did anyone ever hear of this?  My sister in law became extremely dizzy to the point of not being able to stand.  She went to the hospital and they ran tests and diagnosed crystals in ear.  Told her she should go to therapy for it.  I never heard of that and don’t understand what therapy can do, but that’s what she’s looking into because they gave her no medication.

[gwilson31]

I'd never heard of it so I looked it up.  It is called  BPPV.  It says it is not a serious condition and it can be successfully treated.  Good luck to your Sister in law.

[Nancy5]

I'd never heard of it so I looked it up.  It is called  BPPV.  It says it is not a serious condition and it can be successfully treated.  Good luck to your Sister in law.

Thanks, I never heard of that either.

[DEBMZ6]

I have vertigo and the doctor told me it was because the crystals in my inner ear are out of place. Not fure how that happened, but he gave me some medication which thankfully helped.

[ghunter]

No never heard of it.

[aflyingmonkey]

Yeah, I've heard of it as I went through a period of intense vertigo. The "crystals" float around in a part of the ear to maintain balance & positioning & if they get loose & move to a different part of the inner ear then it causes vertigo -- something like that. Therapy requires the manipulation of the head to put the crystals back to where they should be -- otherwise it is a matter of time before they dissolve.  It's very uncomfortable & makes you feel nauseated.  I had to take sea sick pills to be able to function for months. 

I feel for your sister-in-law, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, it's awful.

[pectacon]

She has my sympathy - I've had that and it's the worst I've ever felt!

Please, look on youtube for something called the Epley maneuver and have someone help her do it. It's a series of movements you can do at home that can help slide the crystals back in place. A word of warning... she may be sick by doing this, but after I did it it reduced my dizziness by a lot.

Here's a good video explaining how: https://youtu.be/CPLOd6vqWKI?t=38
Another similar maneuver, if the first one didn't help: https://youtu.be/mQR6b7CAiqk

If she doesn't already know which ear is the problem, have her figure out whether the dizziness gets worse when she lies down on her left or right side, whichever ear is down on the pillow is the culprit.

As I understand it, there are little crystals that float around in your inner ear, and however they settle helps your brain determine if you're looking left, hanging upside down, holding still, etc. Sometimes those crystals will get knocked out of place and send messages to your brain saying that you're spinning in circles even when you're sitting still. This can be caused by things like getting sick or getting hit on the head (that's what happened to me).

Plain old dramamine helped me a bit too during the several days it took to gradually feel normal again. I hope she feels better soon!!

[Nancy5]

Yeah, I've heard of it as I went through a period of intense vertigo. The "crystals" float around in a part of the ear to maintain balance & positioning & if they get loose & move to a different part of the inner ear then it causes vertigo -- something like that. Therapy requires the manipulation of the head to put the crystals back to where they should be -- otherwise it is a matter of time before they dissolve.  It's very uncomfortable & makes you feel nauseated.  I had to take sea sick pills to be able to function for months. 

I feel for your sister-in-law, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, it's awful.

She has my sympathy - I've had that and it's the worst I've ever felt!

Please, look on youtube for something called the Epley maneuver and have someone help her do it. It's a series of movements you can do at home that can help slide the crystals back in place. A word of warning... she may be sick by doing this, but after I did it it reduced my dizziness by a lot.

Here's a good video explaining how: https://youtu.be/CPLOd6vqWKI?t=38
Another similar maneuver, if the first one didn't help: https://youtu.be/mQR6b7CAiqk

If she doesn't already know which ear is the problem, have her figure out whether the dizziness gets worse when she lies down on her left or right side, whichever ear is down on the pillow is the culprit.

As I understand it, there are little crystals that float around in your inner ear, and however they settle helps your brain determine if you're looking left, hanging upside down, holding still, etc. Sometimes those crystals will get knocked out of place and send messages to your brain saying that you're spinning in circles even when you're sitting still. This can be caused by things like getting sick or getting hit on the head (that's what happened to me).

Plain old dramamine helped me a bit too during the several days it took to gradually feel normal again. I hope she feels better soon!!

Thank you so much, I will pass this information to her. 

[makeblessed]

Never heard of it, but I am sure if you goggle it you can find information online ; hopefully the therapy will take care of her problem. Good luck to her and your family.

[tjshorty]

I had never heard of it, but thanks for the information.  I have problems with my ears also.

[cathy37]

I have never heard of crystals in the ear, but I have heard of vertigo.  I know that vertigo causes dizziness and nausea.  I had a friend who had it, but I never had it.

[catchow]

Yes my mother and friend both have had this problem in the past. My mother has had it twice. They both went to physical therapy with ear specialist which taught them how to get the crystals equalized again.

Both are back to normal

[debidoo]

Wow first I ever heard of crystals in the ear............but I certainly hope she starts to feel better - getting dizzy is absolutely no fun at all and is very disturbing.

[timvolley]

i have never heard of this either.

[ancmetro]

     Yes, I have heard and read about crystals in ears.
     Un-removed built up wax in ears also cause similar health problems.