Jonas Hiller says he is vertigo-free… Wait, what the heck is vertigo?

This is certainly a strange situation for Jonas Hiller. He was doing so well with the Ducks, he was building a reputation as a solid NHL goaltender… he beat out J.S. Giguere for the number 1 spot in Anaheim, was playing excellent during the first half of the 2010-11 season, and was coming off an All-Star Game appearance in Raleigh, N.C. Then all of a sudden vertigo struck him and he was unable to return to form for the rest of the year. Hiller claims he is now free of vertigo symptoms. Time will tell.

This wasn’t the first time we have heard of vertigo causing an NHL player to sit out. In the middle of the 2003-2004 season the Philadelphia Flyers’ veteran goaltender Jeff Hackett had a bout with vertigo that he could not beat. He retired on February 9th, 2004.

So I was kinda unsure what vertigo is exactly… so I looked it up. If you are suffering from vertigo you may have some of the following symptoms: difficulty speaking, loss of balance, dizziness, sensation that the environment around you is moving, headache, etc. This is certainly a serious condition.

I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to suffer from this. Imagine being on skates and feeling like this? Imagine feeling like this, and you’re on skates, and pucks are flying at your head? Whoa…

So I was searching vertigo and found some useful information from the site emedicinehelp.com.

So what are some possible causes for vertigo?

Vertigo could be the result of head or neck trauma, such as whiplash… I wonder if Hiller took too many pucks off the mask? (No, seriously.) Migraines can also cause vertigo-like symptoms. I know that migraines are no walk in the park either. Vertigo can also be the result of inner ear imbalances or infections. Remember that the workings of the inner ear are what help us with our balance.

There are different kinds, or classifications of vertigo. Depending on your symptoms and the type of vertigo you are thought to have, you may have vertigo episodes that last a short period of time or a longer period of time. From what I have read it sounds like vertigo is tough to diagnose and could be a challenge to cope with. Check out the emedicinehelp site to learn more about vertigo and possible treatments.

After all that I have read I definitely feel bad for Hiller. I know he is a star on the rival Anaheim Ducks team that have given the Sharks fits in the past (like the 2009 First Round Playoffs) but you never want to see anyone suffer from something like this. He has a bright career ahead of him and it would be a shame to have to prematurely retire like Jeff Hackett.

So here’s hoping you get better Hiller… but of course I still want the Sharks to beat the Ducks in every meeting of the season.

Do you think that Hiller can bounce back and be solid for the Ducks this year? What are your Hiller predictions for the year?

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