Sudden onset of Vertigo

Vertigo is one of the symptoms of long covid (I have long covid), but so are many, many things.

If it resolved with PT, how did they explain it to you, and did they provide a diagnosis or teach you what to do if it recurred?

Since it recurred and resolved with PT, I’m wondering if you may have had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). It’s one of the most common things to cause vertigo when particles in your inner ear get displaced. It’s treated with specific movements that either a physician or PT would know (or you can sometimes do it on your own at home if you know how to do it), but sometimes it can recur.

This happened to me (I don’t believe it was covid related; it could happen to anyone), and I followed the instructions on this page to see if it was BPPV, and to my surprise, it was! But if you’re already established with a PT, you could talk to them since they already know your situation: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11858-benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-bppv

It sounds like you have recurring BPPV. I learned exercises to do at home so I don't go to PT for it. There are even maneuvers online. I sit up looking straight ahead, turn my head to the right, and quickly fall on the bed to the left, leaving my face kind of facing the ceiling. Hold until dizziness stops. Sit up quickly looking straight ahead. Hold until dizziness stops. Then the other side.

Flying can affect the ears, so I wonder if that exacerbated things.

There are other kinds of vertigo. We are allowed to have more than one!

Yep, that's what I did too. I was so relieved that the maneuvers worked for me on the second time, and then it happened a week later... But so far it hasn't happened again, fingers x'd!

Yeah for me it takes days to make the effect stick. I get better, then bad again, then a little more better, then a little less bad again 🙂 Good luck!

The very first time it hit, I did the maneuvers at home for a week with no resolve, exactly what was explained above, turning and quick drop to the side and then up again, I then went to PT.
When it hit the second time, I didn’t attempt it on my own, I went right to PT.

It just seems so odd to hit so randomly out of the blue, I had Covid years ago.
And mine was/is an inner ear (crystals) issue, yea me !!

Yes, I wondered about flying because your ears take a hit when doing so, but I had zero symptoms when I arrived or for the next 8 days but who knows, I am afraid it’s going to be a condition that I will now always have, on and off, which sucks!!

That’s exactly what the P.T says I have, that’s why it only takes a couple PT visits to get them back to a good place. They have no idea why it suddenly started.

I think it can just happen somewhat randomly—anything that can dislodge the particles, and there are a bunch of different factors that could make it more likely to happen (everything from age to sinus infections). But it seems when it happens again, it can be more likely to re-occur.

I read a blog post online by a PT (I don’t know that I’d be able to find it again; otherwise I’d send it to you), and she was writing that immediately after it resolves (up to 2 weeks?), she recommends her patients try to stay upright as much as they can and avoid sudden head movements or activities that can dislodge the particles again. Basically, no sudden movements moving your head one way and bouncing up and down (some workouts, roller coasters, flying, shaking your head vigorously) or lying down suddenly.

Also, I read vitamin D and calcium supplementation may help people absorb the dislodged crystals more quickly, especially if either is low, if any of that helps at all.

I hope it gets better!

@trish0323 not to minimize your suffering but BPPV is more treatable than a lot of other sources of vertigo and dizziness. I hope you can eventually feel empowered with the maneuvers if they prove more helpful in the future.

Very true.
I was just trying to see what others experienced, what worked, and didn’t work, and what they found to be the cause.
Doesn’t seem to be anything different than what I’ve already known.

Thanks !!