- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo - This is caused when organic or foreign particles come loose and move into the inner ear area, causing disturbances in the way that mechanism functions.
- Meniere’s disease - The cause is unknown, but the symptoms can appear suddenly and vanish just as quickly. They include fluctuating hearing, a buzzing or ringing in the ears, a feeling that the ear is full of something, and sudden vertigo.
- Migrainous vertigo - This is caused by a migraine headache, which can knock the sense of balance out of kilter.
- Motion sickness - Traveling in a vehicle, including a boat, car or airplane, may induce dizziness. This occurs frequently on amusement park rides.
- Acoustic neuroma - This is a tumor that develops in the inner ear and affects hearing and balance. It is generally non-cancerous but can cause hearing loss and ringing in the ear.
- Vestibular neuritis - An inflammatory disorder that can damage the balance in your inner ear and the nerves that control balance, resulting in nausea, loss of balance and vertigo,
- Herpes zoster oticus - People with a herpes infection that attacks the ear can acquire vertigo as well as suffer ear pain.
- Head injuries - These often develop while playing sports. A mild traumatic brain injury may induce feelings of vertigo.
Not every problem with balance originates in the inner ear. Some can be caused by conditions that occur in other parts of the body.
Some situations in which balance may be affected include: