Baldwin Times

Olympic skeleton athlete Lizzy Yarnold has struggled from infection and inner ear problems, something that nearly stopped her from achieving gold in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Yarnold was among the favorites to finish first in 2018 and never dreamed such a common issue would threaten to prevent her from achieving her goal of winning gold. 

A vestibular disorder that affected the inner ear caused her problems. She also revealed having trouble breathing in a new much colder climate during the events while experiencing vertigo and sinus headaches that came without congestion, according to The Sun.

According to Wikipedia, Yarnold won the gold medal in the Olympics in 2014 and 2018. She is the most successful skeleton of any country. After Yarnold arrived at the Olympics in 2018, she noticed she was developing a chest infection, which grew worse to where she was having issues speaking and breathing.

Yarnold tried many potential solutions to dull the symptoms of her illness. After falling to third she was able to somewhat tame her symptoms and take home the winning gold medal in 2018, according to Wikipedia.

Labyrinthitis is what people say when discussing vestibular disorders that affect the inner ear. Labyrinthitis is caused by inflammation of part of the inner ear known as the labyrinth, according to NHS Inform. The inflammation comes from an infection that is usually bacterial, or in some cases viral.

“The studies show that it certainly contributes to a loss of vitality, productivity and quality of life,” Dr. Jamie Oberman of the Frederick Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers in Frederick, Md.

Many bacterial infections will clear up within 10 days and are mostly caused by a common cold, according to the Mayo Clinic. Schedule an appointment to visit a sinus inflammation specialist when things do not clear up after that long, things get worse or you have a history of recurrent or chronic sinusitis and a sinus headache.