#otoconia

[chthonicathenean]

Thanks Dr. John Epley, you rock (lol because it's about anatomical crystals)

[jeremypettis]

〰👂GET LOOSE👂〰 Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common type of vertigo. And, as strange as it may sound, it is caused by tiny calcium carbonate crystals — otoconia — becoming dislodged from a small organ called the utricle within the chambers of your inner ear.

[medschooldreamdiary]

Medsplanation

Bening Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo due to Otoconia

Sometimes your ears just want to be a little extra special so they try to make their own diamonds. Sadly, this causes disruptive bouts of dizziness, so the ears get taken to the doctor to remove their newly acquired sparkle.

[werekatt]

So I just came back from the ENT, and my inner ear is fine! Except my semicircular canals. There are crystals in your canals called otoconia that can sometimes become displaced from trauma, an infection, or aging. So when this happens, and you move your head a certain way, these crystals can stimulate nerve hairs that send wrong signals to the brain which causes dizziness. My doctor told me he see's people come in with this happening in their lateral canal, so movements like moving your head side to side bothers them. He said that mine is in my superior canal, which is why I'm dizzy when I look up and down. He said it's really rare for it to happen in the superior canal, especially at my age with no head trauma. So to cure it I'll be doing these funny head exercises for a month while my brain gets used to the activity again! And eventually these crystals will reposition themselves again (This is so cool because I just learned about this in my audiology class!). Oh, and I have a mild genetic sensorineural hearing loss in my left ear at 500 Hz. Which is really nothing, but he did say that's why I have tinnitus (ringing) in my ears... Cool! But not cool, but cool! I knew I wasn't crazy!