Labyrinthitis

It may be due to a virus, but it can also arise from bacterial infection, head injury, extreme stress, an allergy, or as a reaction to medication.

Nausea, anxiety, and a general ill feeling are common due to the distorted balance signals that the brain receives from the inner ear system.

[8] However, the cause of this condition is not fully understood, and in fact, many different viruses may be capable of infecting the vestibular nerve.

The vestibulo-ocular reflex retains continuous visual focus during motion which is also the vestibular system's purpose during activity.

[20] Typical treatments include combinations of head and eye movements, postural changes, and walking exercises.

[21] Vestibular rehabilitation therapy is a highly effective way to substantially reduce or eliminate residual dizziness from labyrinthitis.

[22] VRT works by causing the brain to use already existing neural mechanisms for adaptation, neuroplasticity, and compensation.

[24] One study found that patients who believed their illness was out of their control showed the slowest progression to full recovery, long after the initial vestibular injury had healed.

Notably, a reduction in negative beliefs over time was greater in those patients treated with rehabilitation than in those untreated.

"Of utmost importance, baseline beliefs were the only significant predictor of change in a handicap at 6 months follow-up."

[28] Recovery from acute labyrinthine inflammation generally takes from one to six weeks, but it is not uncommon for residual symptoms such as dysequilibrium and dizziness to last for a couple of months.