Vertigo is an uncomfortable sensation in which you feel as though your body or the world is moving or spinning, even when you are stationary. Typically, vertigo is caused by problems affecting the inner ear, brain, or spinal cord. Your brain feels as though your body is off balance, even when it’s not moving.
Some people only experience mild vertigo attacks that last for a few seconds and don’t affect everyday life. However, others may experience debilitating, long-lasting attacks that affect their ability to work and enjoy life to the fullest.
That’s why having a range of diagnostic and treatment options available is crucial. The more we learn, the better the condition can be managed. Keep reading to learn about the options available as we enter 2026.
Infrared Goggles
New infrared goggles have been designed to help professionals determine whether vertigo originates in the inner ear, known as the vestibular system, or the brain, which is the central nervous system. As most sufferers know, vertigo can qualify as a disability when it’s severe.
Determining the cause can go a long way toward finding an effective treatment option. These new, advanced goggles allow physiotherapists to record eye movements during vestibular tests, helping them determine which ear and ear canal are affected.
Epley Maneuver
The Epley maneuver, also known as the canalith repositioning maneuver, is an exercise in which the person experiencing vertigo lies down, and a professional moves the person’s head from side to side. Following a specific pattern, the goal is to move calcium carbonate deposits from your ear canal to your inner ear. While a healthcare professional can perform this movement, you can also do a modified version of it at home.
In most cases, vertigo is caused by inner ear problems. The semicircular canals inside your ears detect motion and send information to your brain. Nearby in your ear is the utricle, which contains calcium crystals called canaliths that detect movement.
Sometimes, these crystals detach and send incorrect signals to your brain. This is when you can feel as though everything around you is spinning. By performing a series of head movements lying down, you can dislodge the crystals from the semicircular canals and move them back into the utricle. The Epley maneuver is described as offering the most significant benefits with minimal risk.
Endolymphatic Compression
Very few cases of vertigo will require surgery, but it’s an option for people experiencing vertigo with a specific cause, such as Meniere’s disease. When this condition is affecting your quality of life and other treatment options have been exhausted, healthcare professionals may recommend endolymphatic compression.
This surgery involves the surgeon removing the bone around the sac that drains fluid from the inner ear. Two-thirds of patients experience fewer vertigo symptoms. However, the same number experience relief with other treatment options.
Vertigo symptoms can be so severe that they affect some people’s ability to work and enjoy everyday life. However, these diagnostic and treatment options can go a long way toward changing that. The more we learn about vertigo and its wide-ranging symptoms, the more treatment options we can explore to help sufferers get their lives back on track.
