Have you ever felt spatially challenged, off-kilter or dingy? You may have ear rocks or what is more scientifically known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). It’s a condition common for those of us over 50. Ear rocks are tiny crystals that form in your inner ear as a result of a head injury or virus.
Inside of your inner ear is a pouch called the utricle. It contains about 1,000 tiny crystals made out of calcium carbonate. They stimulate our nerve cells when we move our heads and help our brain determine our sense of up and down.
When ear rocks fall off into our inner ear canal, it throws us off balance and sometimes gives us vertigo. (Like James Stewart in the Alfred Hitchcock classic)
BPPV can be treated by a series of head movements designed to knock the ear rocks back into place. This technique is called the Epley maneuver.
Other conditions besides ear rocks that may cause similar symptoms of dizziness or imbalance
Meniere’s Disease is an inner ear condition that causes vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), or fullness in the ears. These sensations may last for 20 minutes or several hours. It typically presents between the ages of 20 – 50 and is caused by an unusual amount of fluid in the inner ear. If you have this disease, you may be more sensitive to fatigue or stress. A physician will usually do a battery of tests that may include a hearing exam, an ENG, balance testing, and possibly an MRI.
Acoustic Neuroma – This is a non-malignant tumor that develops inside a section of the inner ear that helps you balance and transmits sound information to the brain.
Age-Related Imbalance or Dizziness – This may be the result of problems with the vestibular, center, and vision systems and is often caused by a fall. The vestibular system is a complex system of fluid-filled tubes and chambers in the inner ear. Nerve cells and blood flow tend to decrease after age 55.
Virus-related – If you have a weak immune system and it malfunctions after the onset of a virus, the virus can attack other parts of the body including the inner ear.
For more information and detail about inner ear disorders, click here.
The reason I felt compelled to write about this is that I had fullness in my ears for a while after I fainted. I wasn’t dizzy, just a little spacey. It felt like I was spacially challenged. I could walk up and down hills for over an hour in the morning and feel fine. But when I sat in front of my computer for a while, I started to feel pressure in my ears, and sometimes my blood pressure spiked.
I told my regular doctor what was going on and he recommended that I take a Sudafed. Later, when it became more annoying, I went to urgent care and told the doctor about the Sudafed. He told me to stop taking it because it causes blood pressure to spike and was surprised that my regular guy had recommended it.
It’s always fun when doctors disagree, isn’t it?
It could have been a combination of a car accident I was involved in two years before, jogging for 6 months at a gym (not always a good idea after the age of 50), and then fainting and falling on my head. Each year between 20 – 40 percent of adults over 60 fall for some reason and between 12 and 67 percent fracture a hip. It’s important that we learn to prevent falls as we grow older. If you fall and feel spacey it’s a good idea to check to see if you have ear rocks or another ear condition.
If you suspect you may have ear rocks, make sure to have your doctor give you a referral to an ENT. I’ve had everything from a neurologist to a cardiologist check me out and tell me I’m perfectly healthy. Hopefully, it will be something easily treatable but always find out so you don’t fall and can’t get up.
Do you feel off-balance sometimes? Please leave a comment below.
Wow, I had no idea this was such a common problem. I thought I just couldn’t hear and had dizziness issues because I was old. It’s really good to know that there’s a way to alleviate the issue. It’s probably smart to go to a hearing doctor as well to see what else I can do.
Hi Gerald. It does seem to be a common problem especially as we grow older. It turns out my Eustachia tubes are blocked or malfunctioning. Nothing terrible at least. Now I just have to shoot Flonase into my nose every morning.
Thanks for your article about your hearing health, Rebecca. You make a great point about how there are many different causes for the formation of calcium carbonate in your inner ear. My father has Meniere’s Disease. He needs to watch his sodium intake to prevent severe dizzy spells and vertigo. These can be so bad that he will need to go to an urgent care center. I’ll keep your information in mind, since I might genetically inclined to develop Miniere’s Disease as well.
Thanks so much for the info about salt intake and Meniere’s Disease Aaron. That can be a difficult disease to deal with. However, Alan Shepard, one of the Apollo astronauts had it and was able to cure it to the point he was able to fly to the moon. So there’s definitely hope.
Thanks, Rebecca. I didn’t know that Alan Shepard also had Miniere’s Disease. It can be tricky to maintain. My dad has to be really careful about eating out. You just need to keep an eye on certain things and it won’t effect you as much. Thanks.
Yes, I learned about it while watching the show Astronaut’s Wives that was on last season. It was a great show. I had no idea myself before that. Hope all goes well with your dad.
Wow, what a great article. Very informative as I didn’t even know that our ears contained thousands of little crystals of calcium. Its funny how doctors don’t agree sometimes, but i believe its because we are all different and we all have difference in opinions. Im glad you are ok and with us now, after your unfortunate accident. Thanks for the article!
Thanks so much. I’m glad you found it valuable. Luckily I’m feeling much better. I just occasionally feel like my ears are plugged up.
I had bad vertigo about 2 months ago. It took awhile for it to go away. Ever since then . I have had buzzing going on in my head and today I woke up with my ears feeling like there closed. Stinks getting old lol. I’m 65 will this closed feeling in my ears go away?
Thanks
I hear you, Barbara. I get the same thing. Although, I found out my problem is more neck and shoulder tension from working on my computer. If you can move the fascia that surrounds your neck and shoulder muscles by getting a massage or a rolfing treatment the ear stuffiness may go away. It’s worth a try.
I had bad vertigo about 1 months ago. It took awhile for it to go away. Ever since then . I have had buzzing going on in my head and every time I feel my ears feeling like there closed. Also if my i do any work i feel dizziness. My dr said a rock in my ear.
I have been experiencing this for about a month now….I have been staring at my computer …as I am an accountant…and it was tax time….so 12-16 hours a day at my desk…..I am also a personal trainer…and when I demonstrate anything on my back….the room spins….its embarrassing….I am supposed to be strong…and help others…but when I get so dizzy that I can barely stand….its wrong….Years ago…I could hear clicking in my ears whenever I turned on water….did mri and other tests and found nothing…wondering was this a precursor to this? I am desperate to make this go away….I leave on a 1 month trip soon….rock climbing, yoga….hiking….I cant be dizzy for that….
Thanks, for chiming in, Michelle. I’m writing another post that should be up today on shoulder tension from sitting at a computer too long. Sometimes, it’s also neck tension that can cause imbalance. I found that yoga-style neck exercises I found on YouTube help.