DIZZINESS AND BALANCE

Most of us have felt dizzy – after a roller coaster ride or when looking down from a tall building or when, as children, we stepped off a spinning merry-go-round.  Dizziness arises naturally from unusual changes that disrupt our normal feeling of stability.

Dizziness can be a sign that there is a disturbance or a disease in the systems that help people maintain balance.  Three systems- your ears, your eyes, and your muscles and joints -continuously work together to send information to your brain that helps you walk, turn, and

bend over easily.  If one of these systems develops a problem, you may experience dizziness or loss of balance.  The feeling of dizziness varies from person to person, depending on its causes, and can include a sensation of unsteadiness, imbalance or even spinning.

You may have a balance disorder if you:

• Feel dizzy or shaky
• Experience vertigo (spinning)
• Lose your balance
• Feel confused in crowds
• Stumble or fall easily
• See a moving horizon
• Have trouble reading
• Feel lightheaded
• Feel dizzy when sitting up and/or turning in bed
• Experience dizziness with nausea and vomiting

Although disease-related dizziness is most common in the older population, vertigo and inner ear problems occur in all age groups and are also related to head injuries.  Even a minor “bump on the head” can sometimes cause persistent problems.  According to Dr. James S. Soileau and Dr. Gerard J. Gianoli, vestibular disorders can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms resemble those of many other conditions.  “Most of our patients come to us after suffering for months with bouts of dizziness and imbalance,” says Dr. Gianoli.  “They’ve tried multiple treatments and specialists without relief.”

— (excerpt from Good Housekeeping)