Amarillo Gazette

A sinus infection and inner ear problems almost prevented Olympic gold medalist Lizzy Yarnold from taking home the gold in the 2018 Olympics.

Competing professionally since 2010, Yarnold previously won gold at the 2014 Olympics in the skeleton event, her Wikipedia page said. She won again in 2018, making her the most successful skeleton racer of any nation.

Shortly after arriving at the 2018 Olympics, however, Yarnold developed a chest infection that intensified to the point where she was having trouble speaking and breathing, a report by The Sun said. Her issues were caused by a vestibular disorder affecting the inner ear. She also complained of having trouble breathing in PyeongChang's much colder climate and experiencing vertigo and sinus headaches without congestion.

Yarnold tried many home remedies for sinus headaches in an attempt to dull the symptoms of her condition. After falling to third in the competition, she was somehow able to overcome her symptoms enough to win the 2018 gold medal.

Vestibular disorders affecting the inner ear are sometimes referred to as labyrinthitis, a report by NHS inform said. Labyrinthitis is caused by inflammation of a part of the inner ear called the labyrinth. The inflammation is usually caused by an infection, most often bacterial but sometimes viral.

"Eustachian tube dysfunction is what happens when the eustachian tube that connects the back of the throat to the middle-ear space doesn't work properly," Dr. Monty Trimble of Dallas Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told the Amarillo Gazette.

Most bacterial infections are caused by a common cold and typically clear up within 10 days, a report from the Mayo Clinic said. If the condition continues longer, things get worse, or you have a history of recurrent or chronic sinusitis or sinus headache, you should see a sinus inflammation specialist.