The Community Board

Inner Ear Rockslides Lead to Vertigo

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Liz Lowe
Student/GOOD intern

May 1, 2009 • 5:53 pm PDT
+ responses

Remember the feeling of dizziness from spinning on tire swings? NPR recently reported on a condition called paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, where patients feel the tire-swing bouts of dizziness for long periods of time. Experts who treat dizziness estimate that about 20 percent of all dizziness is due to loose crystals - or ear rocks - in the inner ear. As the rocks roll around in the canal, the brain senses that the head is moving a lot more than it actually is. The result: vertigo.

The secret to curing the feeling of dizziness is to get the crystals back in place. Simple 15 minute movements can get those crystals back where they belong. Learn more about keeping those crystals in place here.

Ear rocks are small crystals of calcium carbonate called

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