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Three Methods:Treating LabyrinthitisRecognizing Symptoms of LabyrinthitisUnderstanding Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is swelling and inflammation of the inner ear. Fluid filled sacs and tubes that form your internal ear are collectively referred to as a labyrinth. The cochlear part of the labyrinth transmits hearing impulses from the ear to the brain while the vestibular part of the labyrinth is responsible for helping your body find balance. An infection in this part of the ear can be caused by bacteria or viruses. If you have labyrinthitis, there are various ways that you can treat it as described in Method 1. If you think you have labyrinthitis but are not sure, scroll down to Method 2 to read about common symptoms.

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EditMethod 1 of 3: Treating Labyrinthitis

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    Have your doctor prescribe antibiotics to clear a bacterial infection. If you have a bacterial infection, it will generally start in your middle ear and then work your way into your inner ear. If you have already gotten antibiotics for your middle ear infection, continue to take them, as they may prevent labyrinthitis from developing. You can also talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for antibiotics that are specifically equipped to combat an inner ear infection.[1]
    • Some of the common antibiotics used to treat labyrinthitis include amoxicillin, clavulanic acid, and ofloxacin.
    • Keep in mind that you do not need to take antibiotics for labyrinthitis caused by a viral infection. These infections will generally clear up on their own without medication.
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    Take medications to relieve the symptoms of labyrinthitis. There are also ways to combat the specific symptoms of labyrinthitis. These symptoms include nausea, vomiting, vertigo, and inflammation.
    • Take antihistamines to fight feelings of nausea. Antihistamines block the production and action of histamine, which can make you feel nauseous when you have labyrinthitis. Some common antihistamines include Allegra, Claritin, and Benadryl.
    • Take antiemetics to fight severe nausea and vomiting. These medications block the chemoreceptor trigger zone of the brain. This area is responsible for severe nausea and vomiting. An example of an antiemetic is prochlorperazine.
    • Take sedatives to relieve vertigo. These medications have a tranquilizing effect that can calm your central nervous system, helping to relieve the excited nerves and cells that cause vertigo. An example of a sedative is diazepam.
    • Try corticosteroids to reduce inflammation that can lead to vertigo, nausea, and vomiting. These are the anti-inflammatory drugs. In Labyrinthitis these act by reducing the inflammation in your ear.
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    Keep vertigo and dizziness at bay. There are some self-help techniques that you can use to manage any vertigo and dizziness you are experiencing. These techniques include:
    • Lying in your bed if you feel dizzy. If you start to feel dizzy, lie down and close your eyes. Try lying on your side. Keep in mind that this might make some people feel more dizzy, but it will keep you safe from falling over.
    • Avoid bright lights and loud noises. Bright lights and loud noises can lead to an attack of vertigo. This is because these things excite cells of the brain, which in turn trigger the attack.
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    Do some exercises to reduce vertigo. There are some exercises that can help you to reduce the feeling of vertigo. Some of the exercises include performing the Epley maneuver. This maneuver can help to reposition the small particles in the canals of your inner ear. These particles, when knocked out of place, can induce vertigo. To do the maneuver:
    • Sit in the middle of the edge of your bed. Your legs should hang down off of the edge of your bed. Turn your head forty five degrees to your right.
    • Quickly lay with your left side down on the bed. Your head should still be turned to the right. Your head should be touching the bed. Stay in this position for 30 seconds and then sit up.
    • Rotate your head forty five degrees to the left. Lie down on your right side for 30 seconds and then sit up again.
    • You can repeat this six to ten times until you feel less dizzy.
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    Take ginkgo biloba extract. An extract obtained from the Ginkgo biloba may help to treat labyrinthitis. This is because ginkgo biloba is thought to help circulate blood in your brain. You should talk to your doctor before using gingko biloba extract.
    • Consider taking a 40 milligram (mg) tablet once a day.
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    Go for Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT). If your symptoms do not subside with the use of medication and the symptoms become chronic, you should consider going to VRT. VRT is a therapy that uses the neural mechanism in your brain to adapt to the symptoms of labyrinthitis. Some of the strategies most commonly used in this therapy include:
    • Gaze stability exercises: This exercise helps to restore the reflexes of the vestibular and ocular systems. The vestibular system is associated with maintaining balance. The ocular system is associated with vision.
    • Habituation exercises: These exercises are based on the principle of habit formation. First movements which may provoke the vestibular symptoms are done, and then other movements which will subside these symptoms are performed.
    • Functional retraining: This exercise focuses on helping you to control your balance, posture, and relaxation levels.
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    Undergo surgery as a last resort. If you have tried everything else listed in this article and nothing has treated your condition, you may want to talk to your doctor about surgery. The two types of surgery that treat labyrinthitis include mastoidectomy and labyrinthotomy.
    • Mastoidectomy: The mastoid is a bone near the ear and can be removed in extreme cases of labyrinthitis. When the mastoid is removed, the surgeon will be able to work on your labyrinth.
    • Labyrinthotomy: This involves the removal of the labyrinth. It may also include draining pus that has formed in the labyrinth.

EditMethod 2 of 3: Recognizing Symptoms of Labyrinthitis

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    See if your head feels like it’s spinning. Labyrinthitis can make you experience a condition called vertigo. Vertigo is when you feel like your head, or the world around you, is spinning. The fluid in your ear, which is called the endolymph, is responsible for keeping your body balanced. When this fluid gets inflamed, it stops maintaining your balance so you start to feel dizzy.[2]
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    Listen for a ringing sound in your ear. The ringing sound your hear is called tinnitus. It is caused by the endolymph being unable to properly transmit sounds to your brain, so a ringing sound occurs. This sound can be described as a dull, whining sound.
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    Identify any problems with your hearing. Try to pay attention to the sounds around you. Do noises sound further away or duller than normal? This deadening of noise can be caused by labyrinthitis.
    • If the labyrinthitis is allowed to continue unchecked, the infection can actually cause damage to the auditory nerve, which can compromise your hearing.
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    Pay attention to feelings of nausea or vomiting. The labyrinth is also a relay centre for vomiting. Hence any disturbance in the labyrinth leads to nausea and the feeling that you are going to vomit.
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    Look out for more serious symptoms of labyrinthitis. These symptoms include fever, convulsions, slurring of speech, and double vision. These more severe symptoms could mean the infection has gotten worse and needs medical attention.
    • Fever: It you develop fever, it could mean the infection is spreading from the ear to the blood, which sends signals to the hypothalamus in the brain to kill the bacteria by raising the temperature of the body.
    • Double vision: If you feel you have double vision, please contact your nearest physician as the infection could have moved from the inner ear to the nerves in the eye.
    • Convulsions: Convulsions, or physical fits, could mean that the infection is spreading to your brain.

EditMethod 3 of 3: Understanding Labyrinthitis

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    Understand that there are three stages of labyrinthitis. Labyrinthitis may develop slowly and may come in three stages. these stages include[3]:
    • Stage I: It is called the”fistula formation” or “paralabyrinthitis” stage, where the infection hasn’t reached deep enough to the inner ear and doesn’t precipitate any symptoms.
    • Stage II: (“Serous labyrinthitis”) is when you notice symptoms and those symptoms can be reversed with proper treatment.
    • Stage III: (Purulent labyrinthitis) is the last and final stage that can lead to permanent deafness.
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    2
    Know the possible causes of labyrinthitis. There are several reasons that labyrinthitis develops. Bacterial and viral infections are generally the underlying cause of this condition.
    • Influenza virus is one of the leading causes of labyrinthitis as the virus is so small and can make its way from the respiratory tract to the ear through the Eustachian tube.
    • Smokers can be at a high risk as smoking decreases immunity and invites more respiratory infections.
    • People who often love to swim in ponds or lakes tend to get ear infections. Recurrent infections can lead to labyrinthitis.
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    Understand how labyrinthitis is diagnosed. If you think you have labyrinthitis, you should get your ear checked out by a doctor in order to obtain a diagnosis. There are several ways that doctors can diagnose labyrinthitis:
    • Hearing test/Tuning fork test: Various types of hearing tests exist that require the use of a tuning fork of varying frequencies, such as the Rinnes test and the Webers test.
    • Calorie Test: In this procedure water is introduced to the ear canal and the movement of the eyes are noted. Depending on the movement of the eyes, results are noted.
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EditWarnings

  • Avoid placing warm oil in the eardrum. Some people have a belief that adding warm oil as ear drops reduces inflammation in the ear which actually isn’t a good idea and shouldn’t be practised. It could lead to perforation of the ear drum.

EditSources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Labyrinthitis/Pages/Treatment.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.healthline.com/health/labyrinthitis
  3. ↑ http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Labyrinthitis/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Article Info

Categories: Conditions and Treatments

In other languages:

Español: Cómo curar la laberintitis, Русский: вылечить отит, Français: Comment soigner une labyrinthite, Deutsch: Eine Innenohrentzündung heilen, Italiano: Come Curare la Labirintite

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