Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Vertigo on the Piano Bench?

Yep. As weird as it sounds, I knew someone who had the messed up ear crystal, yes, the doctor moved his head around and fixed it.

As an RN who used to work in home health, I have cared for a number of patients who had vertigo. Yours may be caused by simply moving your head up and down , reading the music and looking at the keyboard. Be careful, change your position slowly to prevent falling. You will most likely need to see a specialist who will move you and your head in a number of positions to help re-seat the crystals in your inner ear. I wish you the best.

Hi ClsscLib

You have my complete sympathy !!... It sounds like you are doing all the right things... Emergency room checkup and now following up with a specialist.. I'm sure there are a number of issues that can cause vertigo and it's important to get to the root cause..

I have experienced occasional episodes over the years. HORRIBLE stuff !... My diagnosis was fluid build up in the ear.. ( from bad allergy seasons).. The first episodes went on for months w/ dizziness and non-stop nausea.. Meds did nothing to help symptoms.. I now am careful to manage allergies w/ prescription(s) year round and only get the rare attack that passes briefly.. ( i do have some vision/depth perception issues that maybe makes me even more sensitive to vertigo .. who knows

BEST OF LUCK w/ your diagnosis.. You'll feel better once you know what's going on !!!...

cassiesmom

I had that back in the '70's and '80's when shag carpet was in style. Very thankful for that -- I could lie on my back and hang on tight to the shag, which helped a bit with the fear of falling off the planet... ;-)

Mine was horrible, but it just went away.

I have had two such episodes (the dizziness/spinning/loss of balance sypmtoms). After researching, I became convinced that I was experiencing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), as you mentioned above.

Both times I attained complete relief by using the Epley maneuver, mentioned by Akino above. It is a very simple exercise, and in my case, was completely effective.

There are some very detailed descriptions and tutorials on the internet. I suggest it.

Don't have time to read everyone's response. Sorry if it's mentioned by someone before me but I did experience vertigo when I try to get up one morning. My doctor gave me a copy of exercise routine to prevent it. I could not find it but I found related sites. Good luck and take care.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/mobileart-emh.asp?articlekey=129503

Just had the exact same thing happen to me last month! 2nd time in a year.
It is likely BPPV. My first episode was cause I hit my head several times on a rental sonata and I have a Santa Fe.
This last time was a year later ( March 27) in a self imposed piano retreat in my sons condo in Destin Florida.
Practiced piano, Skyped w my teachers, 4-6 hours a day ALL w headphones. My wonderful Beyerdynamic closed — like in a tomb. Since I was in a condo I didn’t want to disturb anyone.
On the 10th day I was taking a brunch break , turned from the stove and the Gulf and condo just spun like a top. Fell, couldn’t get to phone or 911. 7th floor. Usually when not playing piano, I was out on balcony.
Violently sick for hours , scooted along, finally subsided enough to call for help,er, meds, but it’s an inner ear crystals get loose and they have to maneuver head, like those fluid games where you have to direct flow. Lasted 2 days, finally subsided on 3rd day.
I am set for ear specialist , tests and some place gonna show me the maneuvers. I already had double by pass surgery after a heart attack and that was pale next to intense BPPV.
There is no notice, no cure, no diet, no exercise, no anything I have researched that really prevents it.
When I use my headphones, I keep them much lower and wear half as much.
Well documented connection about headphones closed inner ear pressure and vertigo.
This disorder I believe is mostly seen by people in 60s and 70s.

Have you tried taking an OTC decongestant? It is possible that could clear up an inner ear problem. I had a dizzy issue many years ago but not related to playing the piano that was resolved by a decongestant. I do not believe it is anxiety.

My father occasionally suffered from vertigo. He also had inner ear issues - he could never balance a bicycle.

I have inherited some of my father's issues, and they seem to be getting worse with age. I rode a bicycle all through college, but I can't balance one anymore. I always fall. I have seen a doctor, and it's nothing to worry about unless the symptoms start getting worse.

I've never had the symptoms that ClsscLib mentions while playing piano, but I do occasionally get a little dizzy while practicing four-octave scales and arpeggios. All that leaning back and forth... This is on a rather substantial piano, a concert grand with a Jansen bench. Funny enough, I have never gotten dizzy practicing the scales and arpeggios on my digital.

If it is BPV, here's something that worked for me. Of course, you'll still want advice from someone WAY more qualified than I am!