When the World Spins: The Reality of Living with Vertigo

Mar 12

When Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Miss Universe 2024 pageant, it wasn’t due to anything typical of the glitz and glamour of the competition. Instead, it was because of vertigo—a condition that many don’t fully understand, but one that can shake even the strongest individuals. For Mia, it wasn’t just the occasional dizziness, but a constant, overwhelming sensation that made even standing still or walking across a room feel like an impossible task.

Vertigo isn’t just a physical challenge; it can be mentally exhausting too, affecting everything from daily routines to confidence. For those who suffer from it, it’s more than just a brief moment of disorientation—it’s an unpredictable force that can change the course of one’s life in an instant.

What is Vertigo?

Vertigo is a medical symptom characterized by the sensation of spinning or losing balance, often accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. Unlike dizziness, which refers to general feelings of light-headedness, vertigo involves a distinct spinning sensation. It occurs when there’s a disturbance in the inner ear or the areas of the brain responsible for controlling balance.

It can stem from various causes, ranging from benign conditions to more serious health issues. The most common causes are linked to problems in the inner ear, but it can also arise due to neurological conditions.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): This is the most common cause and occurs when small calcium crystals in the inner ear become dislodged, leading to a disruption in balance.

Meniere's Disease: A condition that affects the inner ear, causing not just vertigo, but also tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hearing loss.

Vestibular Neuritis and Labyrinthitis: These are conditions that involve inflammation of the inner ear or the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain, often triggered by viral infections.

Neurological Issues: Conditions like strokes, multiple sclerosis, or brain tumors, although less common, can cause vertigo by affecting the brain’s balance mechanisms.

Mia le Roux’s experience seems to be a case of peripheral vertigo, where the disturbance is in the ear or vestibular nerve. For her, this meant not just a feeling of spinning, but also frequent falls, nausea, and an overwhelming sense of disorientation—symptoms that made it impossible to participate in the competition.

For those like Mia, vertigo isn't just a mild inconvenience; it’s a life-altering condition. The sense of imbalance and spinning can lead to falls, which increase the risk of serious injuries like fractures. The condition also interferes with daily activities—everything from driving to working can become challenging.

Mia's Decision to step away from the global stage was made after repeated falls and physical distress. “My body was saying no,” she shared in an interview with TimesLive , acknowledging how vertigo had rendered her incapable of meeting the physical demands of the competition.

Treatment and Management

Vertigo is treatable, and there are several methods for managing symptoms, depending on the cause:

Repositioning Maneuvers: For conditions like BPPV, specific head movements (such as the Epley maneuver) can help shift the dislodged crystals back into their proper position.

Medications: Certain medications, including antihistamines and motion sickness drugs, can help reduce the nausea and dizziness associated with vertigo.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy: This therapy involves exercises designed to retrain the brain to compensate for balance issues caused by the inner ear disturbances. Patients are taught exercises that improve their stability and coordination, helping them manage vertigo during episodes.

Surgery: In rare cases, surgery may be required, particularly if vertigo is caused by more severe issues, such as a brain tumor or other structural problems.

Vertigo can often go away on its own, especially if it’s triggered by something temporary. However, if the episodes are recurrent, severe, or accompanied by other symptoms like hearing loss, double vision, or severe headache, it’s essential to seek medical help. An ENT specialist or neurologist can offer diagnosis and treatment, ensuring that vertigo doesn’t severely impact one’s quality of life.

Raising Awareness and Empathy

Mia le Roux’s story highlights not only the physical toll vertigo can take on an individual but also the mental and emotional challenges of dealing with a hidden health issue. As she opened up about her condition, Mia became an advocate for those who suffer in silence. For many, vertigo is a condition that’s difficult to understand, often mistaken for simple dizziness. But, as Mia’s experience shows, its impact can be profound.

Through stories like hers, we gain a better understanding of how important it is to raise awareness and foster compassion for those living with invisible health conditions.

Vertigo, though not always talked about, is a significant and often debilitating condition. While it might seem like just dizziness to the untrained eye, its effects can be long-lasting and life-altering. As we witnessed with Mia le Roux’s withdrawal from Miss Universe, vertigo can impact even the most poised and determined individuals. By educating ourselves and others about this condition, we can offer support to those in need and work towards a more understanding and empathetic world.