Meniere's Disease

Meniere’s syndrome is a disorder of the inner ear. It is caused by a build up of pressure within the fluid chambers of inner ear which causes the hair cells in the inner ear to become stimulated and produces an uneven transmission of sensory information to the brain.  It affects females more than males and can occur at any age. Usually only one ear is affected.

Symptoms of Meniere’s syndrome consist primarily of

1. Vertigo

2. fluctuating hearing loss

3. Tinnitus (ringing of the ears) or a feeling of fullness in the ear

Alongside these main symptoms, people can also experience symptoms of:

·        anxiety, fear

·        diarrhoea

·        blurry vision or eye jerking

·        nausea and vomiting

·        cold sweat,palpitations or rapid pulse

·        trembling

These symptoms occur in bouts/attacks and can last from 20 minutes to 24 hours. The frequency of attacks varies; they can occur several times during the week or can be separated by days/weeks/months/years. Each case is different and can depend on the person/s lifestyle, diet etc.

Prior to oncoming attacks, people tend to experience “warning signs” which can consist of:

·        balance disturbance

·        headache

·        sensitivity to sound

·        vague feeling of uneasiness

It is important to pay attention to these warning signs as it allows people to move to a safe or more comfortablesituation before an attack

As your Ménière’s progresses, your symptoms may change. Hearing loss and tinnitus may become constant and people may have difficulties maintaining their balance or have difficulty with their vision.

Unfortunately, no cure currently exists for Ménière’s syndrome. However, there are things we can do to help manage the symptoms.

Research has found that adhering to a reduced-sodium diet and using medication that helps control water retention can help to reduce pressure within the inner ear and reduce the severity of symptoms.

Your therapist can also provide a set of exercises that can help restore peoples balance and vision/gaze difficulties that can plague people between attacks.