Last Frontier News

Lizzy Yarnold has suffered from infection and inner ear problems that came close to derailing her effort to win gold at the 2018 Olympics.

Yarnold had her eyes set on gold in 2018, and she never imagined such a common issue would stop her from achieving her dream. Her issues were caused by a vestibular disorder that affected the inner ear. 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.

Yarnold had previously won gold in the Olympics in 2014, according to Wikipedia. She is the most successful skeleton athlete of any country. Shortly after Yarnold arrived at the 2018 Olympics, she developed a chest infection that intensified to where she was having issues speaking and breathing.

Attempting many home remedies for sinus headaches, Yarnold tried to dull the symptoms of her condition. After falling to third in the competition, she was able to somewhat tame her symptoms and take home the winning gold medal in 2018.

Labyrinthitis is what people say when referencing 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.

"Unfortunately, it does not resolve very quickly for some people, and a lot of people who have chronic sinusitis and allergies have this as a chronic problem," said Dr. Matt D. Hershcovitch of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers.

The majority of bacterial infections clear up within 10 days and are often 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 sinus allergies.