I have observed a few different relationships between vertigo and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Vertigo can Cause PTSD
First of all, some people have such severe episodes of dizziness and vertigo that they actually get PTSD from the vertigo. They might experience flashbacks of the vertigo episode or have panic attacks worrying about a future vertigo episode.
I’ve had a number of people that say “I have PTSD from my episode of vertigo” and then when I go to try to do my exam or test them, their responses are hyper-vigilant.
They are very tense and highly stressed out throughout my whole exam and treatment because they have been so deeply affected emotionally by what they went through before.
Even if my exam doesn’t provoke severe symptoms, their emotional response is often exaggerated because they are traumatized from what they went through before.
For example, they might yell out, curse aloud or grab onto me during a vertigo presentation that another patient might describe as mild or moderate. I have seen this PTSD-type response to vertigo in even the strongest, toughest individuals and it is certainly not a reflection of character, but reflects the tremendous emotional impact of having severe vertigo on that individual.
I teach all my patients with this type of response some techniques for stress relief that they can use while working with me and if they get vertigo when I am not around.
PTSD can Cause Vertigo
If someone has PTSD, then panic attacks, nightmares or flashbacks they experience can cause them to hold their breath or cause shallow, rapid breathing called hyperventilation.
Holding the breath or hyperventilation due to PTSD can cause lightheadedness, dizziness – or even vertigo – for some people. It can also magnify pre-existing dizziness or vertigo.
Both can be Caused by a Single Traumatic Event
The third way that I have seen PTSD interact with dizziness and vertigo are people who experience a traumatic event causing a new onset of dizziness or vertigo and PTSD at the same time.
One example of this is the military veterans that are coming back home from war zones.
If they have been exposed to a roadside bomb, for example, that is a very traumatic experience, especially if the people they were with got killed or wounded in any way. That blast from the roadside bomb can cause the crystals in the inner ear to break loose, causing them to have true vertigo in their inner ear called BPPV and then also PTSD from the emotional experience, all from one incident or series of incidents that they went through in a war zone.
In that example, the military veteran may also experience a post-concussion brain injury affecting their mental function and/ or ringing in the ears, called tinnitus.
All of the new symptoms that appeared after the traumatic event need to be addressed for the best recovery.
Car accidents, domestic violence or a physical assault are other examples of traumatic events that can cause both PTSD and dizziness or vertigo to show up at the same time.
Those are the three different ways that I have seen PTSD interact with dizziness and vertigo in my clinical practice.
Both physical and mental health needs to be addressed in order for the best outcomes when someone has both dizziness or vertigo and PTSD.
A lot of times, people with PTSD might need mental health support while they are also in Vestibular Rehabilitation for dizziness and vertigo.
Disclaimer
This blog is provided for informational purposes only. The content and any comments by Dr. Kim Bell, DPT are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The details of any case mentioned in this post represent a typical patient that Dr. Bell might see and do not describe the circumstances of a specific individual.
I only recently (admittedly I had a friend say who has PTSD tell me) was told I could have PSTD because of my vertigo, it was October 26th 4:23am of 2019 and I woke up feeling sick. I went to the bathroom and turned the lights on where I could see nothing, everything was moving, that lasted three weeks and two days with lots of help from specialists. I have difficulty falling asleep ever since then, the feeling of falling, or floating triggers me into a cry or I just can’t sleep. It’s been that way for a year and some now, I just want to know if there’s anyway I could help myself and not be scared of sleeping anymore?
Hi Dylan,
It sounds like you have a good friend there!
It sounds like you could benefit from a round of Vestibular physical therapy to resolve the feeling of falling or floating that is triggering you.
You can use this blog to find a Vestibular Physical Therapist in your area.
I have many blogs on BPPV that you can check out. I also have a blog on Vestibular Neuritis that may be related to your situation.
Without evaluating you in person, I cannot guess what happened to you but I can say that Vestibular Physical Therapy is effective.
Once you sort out recovering from the current triggers you feel at night through Vestibular Therapy, then the fear may resolve.
Mental health therapy for PTSD may help you now, or in the future.
You can research local resources for PTSD in your area to see what kind of help you can find.
Yes, recovery is possible if you find the right providers.
Best wishes,
Kim Bell, DPT
IM a vet, I was in a car accident and blacked out for 3 hours, after leaving the scene in unconscious cruise control they used Narcan but were unsuccessful. 2 weeks later I lost consciousness and fell down a flight of stairs, woke up in the hospital 3 days later of unconscious awake fog and complete shock and disorientation, I was diagnosed with bells palsy, syncope, PTSD diabetes, Vit D deficiency B12 deficiency and vision loss. and I still got tickets. God bless the justice system lol…
I have been through a domestic assault recently. I have been physically changed from this. I am constantly emotional with tears and nightmares and flashbacks of the assault. I am having headaches and dizziness and within the last few days I have had the room spinning any time I turn my head. I am afraid to do anything that involves alot of movement for fear of falling or injuring myself. I thought to begin with that this would just resolve itself but it hasn’t happened.
Hi Valerie,
I am sorry to hear about this. I hope you have been able to find professional help and a safe place to live, so that you do not experience domestic violence again.
I am glad you found this blog article on PTSD and vertigo, because physical assaults can cause both vertigo and PTSD to occur at the same time.
To address the vertigo, I hope you can find a local vestibular health care provider using the directories in this blog.
This blog has home remedies.
For any possible PTSD, you might want to seek professional psychotherapy or mental health counseling, as that may need to be addressed by a professional as well. They can also help you connect with any social services you need.
Hello, I can completely relate with the content. After a fall at home I had spine fracture which followed almost after a month by sudden vertigo and PTSD. I had been on bed rest and used to relive the moment of the fall in my mind and was hyperaroused, it was unpleasant to the core and I used to say out loud…”No”, before I knew it. As I mentioned earlier, this then followed by vertigo one fine day and it is then…that I developed further signs of PTSD.
Normally I am emotionally a very balanced person and such extreme emotional states were very alien to me.
I read yesterday that when there is a trauma to the chest or spine, the chances of getting PTSD are more. I guess it could be because vital organs are located around that area and body could be seeing the trauma as threat of death to the body. Now since it has been almost 2 years post fall and I have recovered physically and mentally through exercise/Physiotherapy, still I carry obvious fear of fall around with me. I think ongoing bone building exercises and my regular meditation will take care of it all. Thank you for the blog.
I absolutely think I have PTSD from a very bad episode of vertigo lasting on and off for 2 months. The violent spinning was so bad I was bed ridden and relied on my daughter to help me. I have always gotten vertigo but never that bad. Now I have flashbacks, I fear driving or moving my head wrong. I fear sleep because I’m afraid I will wake up spinning. There are split moments everyday that I quickly stop and think oh no its back making me cry only to realize im fine. The anxiety is out of control.
Hi Debra,
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through!
You are not alone. I have met many people who feel the same way, which is why I wrote this blog.
This blog discusses the relationship between anxiety and vertigo.
This blog discusses strategies to alleviate vertigo.
I suggest for you to notify your primary care provider of what is happening, and pursue professional mental health support.
Addressing the mental and emotional impact of the trauma that can occur from experiencing vertigo is key to a full recovery!
In the blog, I discuss how unaddressed mental health issues can limit vestibular recovery.
I hope you are able to find a skilled vestibular provider as well to help you.
I wish you all the best.
Take care,
Kim Bell, DPT
After emotional trauma i feel dizzy, triggering in head, numbness, and sleepy. All symptoms lasts quite long term.
What can i do? My mrg eeg and neurological test is clear.
Hi Nazli,
It sounds like you might need to seek out psychological support.
You can work with a psychiatrist if you want medication.
For talk therapy and coping strategies, you can work with a psychologist, counselor, therapist, or other trained mental health professional.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy as well as Acceptance & Commitment therapy have been shown to help people with dizziness.
That might be in combination with medication and vestibular physical therapy, depending on a case by case basis.
You can find a vestibular physical therapist to assess you by using this article.
Best wishes,
Kim Bell, DPT
I’m so stressed from my vertigo. It seems to come and go, I get it every day but can get relief for hours At a time. It does feel better in cars but I haven’t taken any sea voyage recently. Didn’t go through any trauma before hand. The only thing I was going through was panic attacks where my whole body would feel tense. I have health anxiety so this has been very hard for me. Every day I feel like it’s a different disease. Physiotherapy offered temporary relief only.
Hi Alyssa,
I am so sorry to hear about your daily discomfort!
I wrote this article and this article to discuss the connection between vertigo and anxiety.
You may need to find a Vestibular Physiotherapist who specializes in treating dizziness and vertigo. You can use this article which shares two online provider directories.
Feeling stressed and frustrated by vertigo is very common. You are not alone!
You can use this article and this article to help document your symptoms, so you can present your case clearly to a Vestibular doctor or physiotherapist.
Don’t give up! You may need more than one healthcare provider to address the physical aspects and mental health components of your case.
I hope you feel better soon!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kim Bell, DPT
Within the last few years a childhood set of dramas have surfaced. I nightmares with yelling and screaming out loud. When I wake up from a nightmare whether it be 2am or when I wake up in the morning. I feel dizzy, lightheaded, sometimes nauseous. The episodes can last from an hour to all day. The nightmares are mad enough. Dealing with these new symptoms keeps me from my normal mornings. Could this be vertigo due to my nightmares?
Hi Michelle,
The vertigo and dizziness can be related to the nightmares. I have had patients who had nightmares about getting vertigo, and also patients who woke up dizzy seemingly due to the stress of a nightmare.
The best outcome is to consult both a mental health provider to help you deal with the terrifying nightmares and a Vestibular Physical Therapist to assess you for other causes of dizziness.
You will likely need a team approach for optimal recovery.
I hope you feel better soon!
Sincerely,
Kim Bell, DPT
I was robbed at gunpoint in 2006 about a month later I began having fleeting dizzy spells that gradually became worse over time. I had an MRI and two cat sans along with physical therapy.
I saw two different ENTs one was more specialized with abnormalities within the ear. Nothing was found. The only thing that controls it is Valium. Atavan and Antivert didn’t work for me, they only made it worse.
Up until 2014, the longest I have lived without it has been six months. I have had it at varying degrees. Mild and functional, still needing medication,at times not needing any medications to huge flare-ups that have kept me from being fully functional.
I can barely walk and head movements make life impossible along with nausea and vomiting. I have it on both sides and experience Nystagmus in both eyes. The Doctor I had from 2009 to 2014 told me I had PTSD.
In 2014 I lost my mom, from that time forward I have lived with it daily.
I have not been able to sleep lying down flat in almost eight years or in a bed. I can’t allow myself too much room to move from side to side even being propped up because it wakes me from my sleep with the feeling of my brain spinning in my head and I am starting to feel the Nystagmus, whereas I never use to feel it and it’s making my eyes hurt.
In 2007 the last option I was given was surgery on the nerves behind my ears but was told there was a high risk for hearing loss because those nerves were entwined in your auditory nerves. I did see a Neurologist at that time who concurred with the ENTs’ conclusion.
I declined because I have nothing wrong with my hearing and was told if the medication was keeping it under control to continue with that treatment.
Moving forward to the more present time, I moved after my mom passed. In the area I live in now I am having difficulty getting doctors to treat me as my physicians in the past have which is making my life far more stressful. I
t’s enabling my movements on a daily basis, affecting my work more than ever. I have fallen more than I care to count, fracturing bones and breaking my wrist. I feel at a loss.
It seems like I can’t get through to my physician who keeps grouping me with studies and following some studies protocol, instead of treating me for the degree of Vertigo I have.
I’ve changed doctors once already due to this if I continue to change them it will look like I am drug chasing, which I am not.
When I first moved into this area I had no insurance, therefore I had no doctor and no means of medication for over four years. I’m not addicted to the medication I take, I need it for a quality of life, a means to work, and not fear going out for walks because I’m afraid of falling.
I want to sleep in my bed like a normal person and dance just bend over without fear of falling over.
I have conveyed all of these things to my doctor, but I feel like it is falling on deaf ears.
Please any advice on where I can turn to next for possible help.
Hi Sade,
Wow! What a story. I am so sorry to hear what you are going through.
I am also sorry to hear about the loss of your Mom, and I offer my condolences.
It is common for dizzy patients to fall through the cracks of our healthcare system, but your case is even more complicated than usual.
Especially as you get older, it is important that you are able to stop falling and breaking bones.
My suggestion is to contact the office of my trusted colleague, Dr. Ian Purcell, MD, PhD who is an Otoneurologist at Senta Clinic in San Diego. In the past, he and his team of physician assistants have offered telehealth for patients outside our service area of San Diego, CA, USA. I am not sure if they still offer telehealth consultation, but it would be a good idea to inquire.
You can find his office contact information at this website.
One thing that is clear to me after reading your story is that you will likely need a team approach since you have a few things going on here.
Even though it can be frustrating not to have a proper diagnosis yet, it is a good thing that your MRI and CT scans were clear.
This page has home remedies.
This page may help you find a local provider, if Dr. Purcell is not able to help via telehealth.
If the physical therapist you saw was not specialized in vestibular rehab, you may need to find someone who is or look for a more experienced provider.
I would also suggest that you seek professional mental health support so you have an advocate that can help you as navigate through this recovery.
Don’t give up!
Kind regards,
Kim Bell, DPT
I was in the military and was subjected to so called “pranks” while flying in helicopters by the helicopter crews that I worked with. I now have height vertigo. Would this be considered a form of PTSD?
Hi Patricia,
Thank you for your service.
I am personally not a fan of pranks because they can disrupt the nervous system as you have described.
To receive an official diagnosis of PTSD, you would have to be evaluated by a doctor. I am sorry I cannot say for sure one way or the other.
Height vertigo may have started at the same time as any PTSD that you may have.
Height vertigo is not necessarily a typical symptom of PTSD, but panic attacks can be.
If you feel like you are having a panic attack when you are looking down from heights and the panic attack is causing vertigo for you, then perhaps they are all connected to a potential PTSD diagnosis.
I suggest you talk to your doctor and maybe seek evaluation by a psychiatrist or therapist for any potential PTSD diagnosis.
You can also seek out an evaluation from a vestibular provider using this blog, in case the vertigo has a separate root cause.
I wish you all the best!
Hi,
I was diagnosed with cancer last year, which I was treated for and I am now in remission.
The first sign I had was extreme dizziness at a cardiac arrest that I was attending as a paramedic. I then struggled with dizziness till I got the all clear from cancer.
Recently I have been attending more cardiac arrests at work and found that at a good number of them I start to feel dizzy and become very disoriented (picking up completely the wrong equipment and not actually knowing what is going on).
It passed my mind yesterday that it could be psychological can be a form of ptsd from the initial episode that destroyed my life for a while.
Do you think this could be the case and would counseling for the actually first event be helpful?
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your service as a first responder! And congratulations on being cancer free now.
I think you might be on the right track with your thought process here. Counseling may be beneficial to help you unpack the gravity of the first time you felt dizzy at a cardiac arrest scene while working and all that you experienced while getting diagnosed and treated tor cancer afterward.
That’s a heavy topic and certainly could cause some emotional trauma.
Sometimes certain sounds, smells, and lights can cause dizziness in situations that involve first responders if a vestibular migraine is triggered, but I would think that would happen to you each time with certain specific environmental triggers that occur on the job regardless of the “type” of emergency you are responding to…
So there is something to your observation that’s it’s only the cardiac arrest scenes that are triggering you.
If your job offers counseling for first responders, that might be a good place to start.
Or you can talk to your GP and get a referral to a psychologist or counselor, maybe one who has a focus on PTSD.
A professional should be able to either confirm your hypothesis and help you work through it, or perhaps guide you in a different direction.
I hope you feel better soon!