It is a single illness that resolves rather than a condition needing a cure, so most people make a full recovery over weeks. Recovery comes mainly from the brain recalibrating to the reduced signal from one ear rather than from the nerve returning to normal.
It is a single illness that resolves rather than a condition needing a cure, so most people make a full recovery over weeks. Recovery comes mainly from the brain recalibrating to the reduced signal from one ear rather than from the nerve returning to normal.
Vestibular neuritis is an acute inflammatory event affecting the vestibular nerve on one side, usually following a viral illness. It happens once, it does not recur in most people, and it gets better. So the word does not apply: nothing is ongoing. The relevant questions are how completely someone recovers and how long it takes, and those depend far more on what is done in the weeks afterwards than on any treatment given during the acute illness.
This surprises people. The vestibular nerve may not fully recover, and permanent reduction in function on that side is common. Recovery of symptoms comes instead from central compensation: the brain recalibrates to a persistent asymmetry between the two ears, learning to interpret the reduced signal. That process needs movement and visual input to work, which is why what helps is the opposite of instinct - moving early rather than resting, and stopping vestibular suppressant medication after the first day or two rather than continuing it.
Almost always one of a short list. Continued use of vestibular suppressants, which blunt the very signals compensation depends on. Prolonged rest and avoidance of provoking movements. Anxiety and avoidance behaviour, which can develop into persistent postural-perceptual dizziness - a recognised condition in which unsteadiness continues long after the original event, with specific treatment. And BPPV developing afterwards, which is common and produces brief positional vertigo superimposed on recovery, easily mistaken for failure to improve.
Most people return to normal function within weeks to a few months. Some are left with mild unsteadiness on rapid head turns, in the dark or on uneven ground, which usually responds to vestibular rehabilitation and is a compensation problem rather than continuing inflammation. Symptoms that are worsening rather than improving after the first days are not behaving like this illness and warrant reassessment, particularly for a central cause. VNG balance testing is performed at both offices for adults 18 and older.
Clinical Neurology Specialists has been physician-owned since 1998, when Leo Germin, M.D., FAANEM founded it. Five board-certified neurologists and four advanced practice providers see patients at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices, each with its own AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory.
Clinical Neurology Specialists is an adult outpatient neurology practice for patients 18 and older. The practice performs no surgery and operates no imaging suite, infusion suite or interventional pain programme, and provides no emergency or inpatient care.
Physician-reviewed. Reviewed by the physicians of Clinical Neurology Specialists — board-certified neurologists, AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratories, physician-owned since 1998. Reviewed 1 August 2026. This article is general education for adults 18 and older and is not a substitute for a consultation.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.