Dizziness or Imbalance Disorders

Dizziness and imbalance is more common than most people think. In fact, it’s the second most common complaint people bring to their doctors (lower back pain is the first).

It’s estimated that as many as 40% of all adults (fairly common in the older population) experience dizziness/imbalance severe enough to warrant reporting it to their doctors. Fortunately, most causes of dizziness are detectable and treatable, especially with today’s sophisticated computerized diagnostics, medicines and advanced surgical techniques.

Few of us like dizziness any more than we like pain. But, like pain, dizziness is a signal that something else may be wrong—something you need to detect and treat.

Dizziness feels different to different people. Some people feel light headed or woozy. Some feel they are spinning, or the world is spinning around them (this type of dizziness is called “vertigo”). Others have no unusual sensation at all, but lose their balance when they stand or try to walk. Sometimes dizziness comes in spells, with little or no dizziness between spells. Sometimes it comes on abruptly and gradually gets better. Sometimes it’s barely noticeable at first and keeps getting worse. Dizziness often occurs along with other symptoms. Like Nausea, Anxiety, Hearing loss, Pressure or fullness in the head or ears, or a ringing in the ears called tinnitus.