Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025
14:09
Tilt Testing with Combined Lower Body Negative Pressure: a "Gold Standard" for Measuring Orthostatic Tolerance
Published on: March 21, 2013
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Dizziness after an earthquake tilted the house.
Takuya Okamoto1, Ayami Shimizu2, Mitsuya Suzuki1
1Department of Otolaryngology, Toho University Sakura Medical Center, Sakura City, Chiba 285-0841, Japan.
Auris, Nasus, Larynx
|April 10, 2020
Summary
A major earthquake caused a woman
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Otolaryngology
- Geophysics
Background:
- Earthquakes can trigger dizziness and affect the vestibular system.
- The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake provides a unique case study for post-earthquake neurological symptoms.
Observation:
- A 73-year-old woman experienced persistent dizziness and nystagmus for one year after living in a house tilted by the Tōhoku earthquake.
- Diagnostic tests, including electronystagmography and posturography, ruled out psychological factors and autonomic stress.
Findings:
- The patient's persistent dizziness and nystagmus resolved within 10 weeks of moving to a new, level apartment.
- This suggests a link between chronic otolith stimulation from altered gravity in a tilted environment and vestibular dysfunction.
Implications:
- Altered gravitational forces in seismically affected environments may induce prolonged vestibular symptoms.
- The otolith system's response to sustained linear acceleration warrants further investigation in the context of environmental factors affecting balance.
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