BPV - Bouncing in Head

[Maxmin]

I am a XC runner aged 18, and have a strange sensation inside my head. I dont know how this problem came around and exactly when it started (I know I havent had it forever). It feels like something is literally moving with the momentum of my running (when I bounce up and down)... and when I get into a good rhythm I can feel it bounce with my rhythm. It isn't really in a specific spot, but the feeling doesn't move around in my head, the bouncing is just generally there. When I feel it, it doesn't really bother me (to the point where I would have to stop running), but I can always feel it. I can also kind of hear it... I mean, not like a big bass every time i hear it, but there's always the little drumming sound within my head whenever whatever bounces in my head. I presume that drumming sound is connected to my ear. I also hear it when I do other activities that require bouncing, like trampolining, or sometimes walking up stairs (I can feel it when I get tired too). A better explanation would be runnign with a headache, except not the same level of pain. You can feel something bouncing around (or is it just me?). Anyway, I really want to know what this is, because it kind of is affecting my daily life at the moment. I'm getting so conscious over it. My Mum and Dad said it is probably ear related?  I have looked on the web - is it BPV related?

[AuDitT]

In my opinion it does not sound like BPPV. It almost sounds like you have some fluid building up in your middle ear cavity....

A simple tympanogram could determine this. A visit with an Audiologist or an ENT would be helpful.

Do u have allegies etc? Have you recently had a cold?

[Maxmin]

Hi AuDiT,

Thanks for your prompt response.  My Dad is trying to help me sort this problem out, and I read him your reply, and he said it might help you if you have more info - so he wrote me some questions to answer.......see below, for the questions and my answers.
I really appreciate that you are spending time trying to help me - thanks.

YOUR QUESTIONS

I know that you say you have had this since Sophomore Year (2years ago), but is it always there when you run - like on every run - or have there been runs, weeks of runs, months of runs when it has NOT been there?  Is it there from the first steps of a run - or does it come after a while - when you are warmed up?  Is it ever not there?  Can it go away when you are on a run?  When you stand up quickly, do you feel faint or dizzy?  If you turn your head quickly from side to side (once or twice) - do you feel faint or dizzy?  When you stop running - does it go away immediately?  Is you hearing OK - in both ears?  Is it in the middle of the head, or more on one side, always in the same place, or difficult to describe where it is?  Does it hurt?

MY ANSWERS

-          It is always there when I run. It usually subsides when I run harder, but that could just be because I’m focusing on something else (not slowing down).

-          When I instantaneously start running, it does not just magically appear, after maybe 20-30 steps I feel the first thud. Maybe it is because I have to get my breathing involved, but it happens on trampolines and not much breathing is involved in that. It doesn’t really go away, but it isn’t really in a constant pattern. IT bounces with the momentum of my running, but not on every bounce.

-          When I stand up, I don’t really feel faint or dizzy.

-          When I turn my head really quickly I don’t usually feel faint or dizzy.

-          When I stop running, I can feel a pulse inside my head, I think it is around the area where it usually bounces, but the bouncing does stop

-          I don’t really know how to determine how select my hearing is, but I can hear, in both ears.

-          It is usually in the same place, around the back part of my head, but not on the edge of my skull. It is within my head.

-          I just jumped up and down a lot. It is generally in the middle of my head, but maybe a little bit more to the right of my skull. I can definitely hear something in my ears when the bouncing occurs. It is hard to tell when you are running because of all the other noises, such as the wind blowing by your ears and the environment you are in.

-          It does not hurt enough to stop running, but it can throw me off pace, because it is extremely aggravating. This is why I always run hard, because it helps me stop thinking about it.

[AuDitT]

I can really only give suggestions in the realm of the auditory scinces and balance.  Simply put, if you get a tympanogram we can rule out a middle ear pathology. The test takes all of 15 seconds per ear. No big deal & it is painless.

BPPV is triggered by position changes. You usually hear people say things like, " I was bending over pulling clothes out of the dryer, and poof...  I got dizzy. etc"  One can usually associate the onset to a traumatic event, or an event that requires an energy transfer to the head.  I saw one guy that had juggled a soccer ball on his head for about 45 minutes...  and he came down with BPPV. In other words activities that can jar the head could possibly cause BPPV.

Regardless, go get tympanometry done.

If finances are an issue, call around some of your local audiologist and ask if they have a Tympanometer, and if so, how much for the test...  "private pay."   But regardless if you get normal results or not, you would ultimately need to visit with either an ENT or a neurologist.

Good luck

[Maxmin]

Thank you.  I will go to ENT and ask for a tympanogram.........and take things from there.  It will probably be a week or two.........will let you know the results, etc.

Thanks again.