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Thread: Vertigo Issues

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    2

    Default Vertigo Issues

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    Hello,

    I started doing SS last year. I was making progress on the program, however a month or two in I started to have vertigo issues. It started with a vertigo "attack" as I call it. One night, I woke up and the room was spinning, which caused me to vomit multiple times throughout the night. The following morning I felt fine, however, from that point forward, for almost a year, I had minor vertigo symptoms constantly (for instance, if I moved my head too quickly, I would get woozy). More attacks (room spinning, severe nausea) came throughout that time, sometimes a month apart, but less than a week apart at the worst times. In the middle of all this, I stopped lifting (that was around Jan/Feb 2020). It didn't go away right away, but my attacks became less and less frequent, and less severe. Then all symptoms, major and minor, seemed to disappear. I felt great as recently as two weeks ago.

    Hoping that lifting wasn't the cause, I started lifting again a week or two ago. Unfortunately, it only took one workout to get the constant symptoms back, and I fear that I'll get an attack again.

    I want to lift; I want to get stronger. I was as strong as I've ever been on SS. However, the attacks can be brutal and require me to lay down and calm down for hours at a time. It affects my work, time with my family. It's not something I can deal with just to lift.

    Has anyone ever dealt with this? Does it have to do with the valsalva maneuver? Am I letting the pressure go to my head and/or not bearing down correctly? My head does feel tight. Am I not closing my glottis, whatever that means? I don't know, I'm just trying to figure out why lifting is giving me vertigo. While I don't get attacks at the gym, I do experience some significant wooziness at times, like during after, the press, power clean, or even the squat. I noticed I didn't get nearly as woozy doing the power clean if I exhaled on the explosive part of the movement. I could maybe try doing all the lifts without the valsalva, but I don't want to jeopardize my back.

    Sorry for the long post, just haven't been able to figure this out.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    53,557

    Default

    I have never heard of this, outside the occasional case of Meniere's Disease. It is not associated with the valsalva. Get it checked.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    599

    Default

    Could be benign positional vertigo. While you’re waiting for an appointment to get it checked, look up the Epley Maneuver. If it is BPV, you might be able to cure it yourself. Best to have someone with you to help you through the maneuvers, which are straightforward, but warn them you may puke on their shoes.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Thank you both for a timely response.

    Sorry, I should have mentioned that I did do some digging into BPPV and the like. I had a few appts with a PT and talked to other PTs. The appts didn't help as far as I could tell. They entailed mostly doing what another PT/friend called "habituation", which I guess is helping you to live with it, not cure it. It seemed very money-grabby to me. But I could be mistaken. When I tried some maneuvers myself, they seemed to indicate that I maybe have BPPV, but possibly in a different canal (horizontal) than most people. It was hard to tell myself.

    Okay then, per your advice, I will look into getting this checked out by my PCP. My rationale for asking here was that it is apparent that weightlifting directly aggravates my condition. I'm only 31 years old, by the way.

    Who wants to put money on my doctor telling me to stop lifting?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    183

    Default

    I would echo the advice to get this checked out by a Dr., preferably an ENT. There are quite a few possibilities for the issue, but an ENT an MRI would likely be the most definitive route to begin a diagnosis. Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, but did stay in a Holiday Inn once...

    JMTCW, from a guy that had weird symptoms, put it off, only to find out it was very serious, and would have killed me if not for finally going in, and having it checked.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Posts
    523

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    can we go back to the valsalva?
    are you doing this with the mouth closed, and holding air above your throat?
    or are you holding with your mouth open?
    1st question is wrong, second choice is correct.
    This used to get me on cleans.

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