Dizziness Disorders
Vestibular Neuritis
Related terms · Vestibular neuropathy
Vestibular neuritis is a disorder where the function of the vestibular nerve that transmits the sense of balance on one side suddenly drops, causing severe rotational dizziness and nausea.
Meaning and Distinctions
What is vestibular neuritis?
For acute vestibular neuritis, it is necessary to first distinguish the condition from a stroke or sudden changes in hearing and receive initial medical evaluation. Even after the spinning sensation decreases, if your vision jumps when turning your head, or if you feel unsteady on dark roads, in supermarkets, or while looking at screens, rehabilitation and overall systemic recovery are monitored together during the slow recovery period. Vestibular neuritis is a condition where the function of the vestibular nerve, which transmits the sense of balance on one side, suddenly declines, causing severe vertigorotational dizziness and nausea.
- Easily confused terms
- BPPVoften occurs as short, repeated episodes in specific positions, whereas vestibular neuritis can involve severe dizziness that lasts for a long time even while staying still.
- Why this is checked during medical evaluation
- For acute vestibular neuritis, it is necessary to first distinguish the condition from a stroke or sudden changes in hearing and receive initial medical evaluation. Even after the spinning sensation decreases, if your vision jumps when turning your head, or if you feel unsteady on dark roads, in supermarkets, or while looking at screens, rehabilitation and overall systemic recovery are monitored together during the slow recovery period.
- What to note down for your visit
- The date of acute onset, vomiting, gait, and the neurological and hearing evaluations performed; remaining discomfort when turning the head, walking, in dark places, or looking at screens Vestibular Rehabilitation details, recovery time after exercise, diet, and sleep. Please write these details down with the dates and show them during your medical evaluation.
Dizziness, Ear, Head, and Face Glossary
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Check guides where this term is used
- Condition GuideDizziness after vestibular neuritisVestibular neuritis begins with sudden, severe dizziness as if the surroundings are continuously spinning, and may be accompanied by leaning to one side, difficulty walking, nausea, and vomiting. While moving the head increases discomfort, unlike BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) which occurs briefly only in specific positions, symptoms may persist even while staying still in the early stages. Usually, there is no new hearing loss or tinnitus; if auditory symptoms are present, other causes such as labyrinthitis are checked.→
- Medical Evaluation GuideWhat are the differences between BPPV, Meniere's disease, and vestibular migraine?If a sensation of spinning lasts from a few seconds to around 1 minute and recurs when turning over or lifting your head, it helps in identifying BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). If dizziness lasting from tens of minutes to several hours occurs alongside changes in hearing in one ear, tinnitus, or a feeling of fullness in the ear, we check for Meniere's disease; if there is sensitivity to light, sound, and movement, or a history of migraines, even without a current headache, we check for vestibular migraine. We differentiate these by matching symptoms with hearing tests, nystagmus observation, neurological examinations, and changes over time.→
- Head, Ear, and Face ColumnWhy the sequence is important when dizziness, headache, and nausea occur together→
Evidence and Update Information
The following materials were referenced to verify the basis and scope of the definitions and treatment descriptions.
- International Headache Society: ICHD-3International classification distinguishing migraines, tension-type headaches, chronic headaches, and secondary headaches