By Poonam McAllister, Vestibular Physical Therapist, Central Illinois Institute of Balance
Yes, there is such a thing as “rocks” in your ears! You may have even heard people talk about having rocks in their ears that literally made their world spin.
The inner ear is the farthest part of the ear. It is housed deep inside the skull bone and is not visible from the outside. The inner ear is made of two parts. The first part is a snail-like part called the cochlea and the other part looks like a sac with three rings that come out of it. This second part is called the labyrinth. The cochlea is the hearing organ and the labyrinth is the balance organ or sensor.
The labyrinth is what houses the rocks. The labyrinth is made of two sacs called the utricle and saccule and three semicircular canals. The utricle is what houses the rocks, often described as crystals in the inner ear. The medical term for the ear rocks is otoconia. These rocks or crystals are made of calcium carbonate and have a very important job to do. These crystals are normally present in both inner ears and help us sense where we are in space. They are extremely small and are not seen on any X-ray or MRI.
Sometimes, for no given reason or following a head injury, a car accident, or a fall, these rocks move out of place. They now float freely in one of the semi-circular canals. So, when a person with rocks that have moved out of place moves their head up or down or bends over, they feel the room spin. Simple daily tasks like washing or blow-drying their hair makes them sick to their stomach. Often people with this problem complain of the room spinning when they roll in bed or first get out of bed in the morning. The medical term for the displaced rocks is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
The symptoms of rocks being out of place include room spinning dizziness, nausea, and a feeling of falling or being thrown back in bed upon rising. Often these symptoms last only for seconds and stop once the head or body movement has stopped. People often feel unsteady, veer to one side, or feel unsteady when they make quick turns. Many people are afraid to leave the house alone and sometimes have to miss work or social activities.
You can be tested for BPPV by your physician or by a referral to a Vestibular Physical Therapist or an Audiologist. It is an outpatient procedure and the treatment is very simple. The rocks are tested by performing a procedure called the Dix-Hallpike procedure or Roll Test. It is not recommended that people try to do this by themselves. A specific treatment procedure is performed after determining where the rocks have dislodged. People are often symptom free after the first treatment. Some complex cases need repeated sessions and a home exercise program. There are other causes of dizziness besides the displaced rocks covered in this article. If you experience any form of dizziness, you must mention it to your physician to rule out any other causes. Treatments have documented benefits and are covered by insurance companies.
So, if the room is spinning, don’t just sing the song “I’m so dizzy my head is spinnin…”, call your doctor for a referral to check out those ear rocks.
For more information on problems with balance or dizziness, you may contact Poonam McAllister at Central Illinois Institute of Balance
at 309-663-4900 or visit www.dizzyil.com. Poonam is specially trained in the evaluation and treatment of balance disorders using a comprehensive approach that looks at the complexities of balance problems in the context of the total patient. Her office is located at 211 Landmark Dr., Suite E-3 in Normal.
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