Have you experienced a Vestibular Migraine in Kelowna?

kelowna vestibular migraine

KELOWNA VESTIBULAR MIGRAINE: Vestibular Related Migraines

Whether your migraine symptoms came on suddenly or have been quietly disrupting your life for years, a focused assessment can help make sense of what’s happening.

Whether your migraine symptoms came on suddenly or have been quietly disrupting your life for years, a focused assessment can help make sense of what’s happening.

Vestibular migraines are more common than most people realize, and one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in dizziness care. That’s partly because the headache doesn’t always show up. For many people, the migraine expresses itself through vertigo, unsteadiness, visual disturbances, ear pressure, or motion sensitivity, with no head pain at all. Symptoms can last minutes, hours, or days, and they can look a lot like other inner ear conditions, which makes getting the right answer take longer than it should.

Audio-vestibular testing is central to sorting this out. At Lakeside, we assess the vestibular system to help identify whether migraine is driving your symptoms, and whether other conditions may be present alongside it.

Understanding Vestibular Migraines

For some people, the scariest part is not knowing what’s happening. Vestibular migraine symptoms can closely resemble those of a stroke or serious inner ear disorder, which is why many people end up in emergency or going through extensive testing before anyone lands on the right answer. Getting there faster matters, and knowing what you’re dealing with makes it easier to manage.

What causes a vestibular migraine?

Vestibular migraines, like other migraine syndromes, tend to run in families. Vestibular migraine triggers are often similar to migraine headache triggers such as stress, barometric pressure changes, diet, or hormone fluctuations.

Vestibular migraines can involve combinations of the following symptoms:

Migraine Headache Symptoms Such As...

  • Severe, throbbing headache, usually on one side of the head
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Sensitivity to light, smell, and noise

Vestibular Symptoms Such As...

  • Vertigo (dizziness), usually lasting minutes to hours, but sometimes days
  • Unsteadiness and loss of balance
  • Motion sensitivity
  • Tinnitus such as ringing or static in the ear/s or head
  • Pressure in ear/s or head
  • Neck stiffness

Visual Symptoms Such As...

  • Visual aura (blind spots, dots, loss of parts of vision)
  • Sensitivity to visual motion
  • Sensitivity to bright lights and colours

OUR APPROACH: KELOWNA VESTIBULAR MIGRAINE CLINIC

How is Vestibular Migraine Diagnosed?

Because many people who have vestibular migraines do not have vestibular symptoms and headaches occurring at the same time, the diagnosis is often difficult and sometimes overlooked. It is also common for vestibular migraine, Méniére’s disease and BPPV to coexist, which can make diagnosis more challenging.

Audio-vestibular testing is important in helping to identify the possibility of a vestibular migraine.

What is the treatment for a Vestibular Migraine:

Vestibular migraine management may involve lifestyle measures such as changes to diet, sleep, exercise, or stress. It may also involve supplements or prescription medications. It is important to discuss common medical management with your family physician, neurologist, or ENT. Following medical management, vestibular rehabilitation may also be required.