Our audiologists work as members of a team with physicians, physical therapists, and other professionals to properly diagnose and facilitate treatment for dizziness and balance disorders. Below are some questions that are commonly asked by patients. Please feel free to Contact Us via the link on the side tab or call 941-366-4848 for further information regarding diagnosis and treatment of balance and dizziness disorders.
What are causes of dizziness?
The first step to determining cause of dizziness is to characterize the symptoms. Dizziness can be characterized as vertigo, disequilibrium, and a feeling of faintness.
Vertigo Vertigo is a sensation of movement (spinning) while stationary. It typically indicates a problem with the structures and/or nerves of the balance portion of the inner ear (vestibular system). Head and/or body movement may worsen vertigo. Sometimes vertigo is severe enough to cause nausea, vomiting and imbalance. Causes of vertigo may include:
Disequilibrium (loss of balance): Disequilibrium is the loss of balance or the feeling unsteady when walking. Causes of disequilibrium may include:
Feeling of faintness (presyncope): Presyncope is the term for feeling lightheaded and faint without losing consciousness. It is often accompanied by nausea and pale/clammy skin. Causes of presyncope may include:
Anxiety disorders: Several anxiety disorders, such as panic attack and a fear of being in large, open spaces (agoraphobia), may cause dizziness. Sometimes a vestibular disorder may produce original dizziness symptoms, but then anxiety causes dizziness to persist even after the inner ear problem has resolved.
Other dizzy sensations such as floating, swimming or heavy-headedness: Other "dizzy" sensations that are more difficult to describe may include feeling "swimmy headed" or having the sensation of spinning inside the head. Some causes include:
What tests are typically used to evaluate balance and/or dizziness?
Functional Assessment: A series of tests to challenge different systems that contribute to balance to determine which part of the balance system is relied upon most and which part(s) may be weaker. Testing involves attempting to maintain balance while standing in different positions in different conditions.
Videonystagmography (VNG): VNG is a non-invasive series of tests designed to evaluate dizziness and related conditions. The test involves wearing goggles with infrared video cameras to record eye movement during a series of subtests that involve visually tracking targets across a screen, head and body movement into different positions, and caloric testing with air or water irrigation of the ear canal.
Audiologic Testing: While there are several ear-related conditions that cause vertigo accompanied by hearing loss, there are many that do not. The presence of hearing loss accompanying vertigo can help differentiate between certain ear-related causes of dizziness. Audiologic tests can provide useful information about middle ear function, cochlear hair cell function, hearing, and integrity of nerve pathways of the hearing and balance systems. [Click here for more information regarding Audiologic Testing]
Other tests may be necessary depending on symptoms:
What treatments are available for balance and/or dizziness disorders?
Appropriate treatment depends on the cause of dizziness. Following diagnosis, a treatment plan is created to best manage each patient’s dizziness and/or balance problem(s). Treatment options include: