Dizziness, Vertigo, and Balance Testing at Hearing Doctors
Feeling a bit lightheaded or unsteady on your feet?
You’re certainly not alone. Over 90 million Americans experience vertigo, dizziness, and balance problems at some point during their lifetimes. In fact, dizziness is the number one issue reported to medical providers by adults 70 years of age or older.
Dizziness and balance disorders are more than just an inconvenience. For many, they pose a significant risk of injury. More than half of the accidental deaths in the elderly population and over 300,000 hip fractures each year are the result of balance-related falls.
If you’ve arrived at this page looking for solutions to your dizziness and balance issues or those of a loved one, then you’re in the right place. Hearing Doctors provides comprehensive vestibular neurodiagnostic testing as the first step to helping you feel steady on your feet.
Using our expertise and state-of-the-art technology to conduct simple, noninvasive tests, our doctors are able to diagnose your condition and provide personalized solutions to address them. We’ll work with your primary care physician and/or medical specialists to resolve your balance and dizziness issues.
Vestibular Testing Is Covered by Most Insurance Policies
With a physician’s referral, vestibular testing is covered by most insurance policies and Medicare Part B.
If you are experiencing a loss of balance, unsteadiness, dizziness, or vertigo/spinning sensations, we strongly recommend scheduling a vestibular test as soon as possible.
Symptoms of a Balance or Vestibular Disorder
Motion Intolerance
Motion intolerance includes both dizziness and vertigo (a spinning sensation), which often occur after rapid head movements or turning too quickly. You may experience these symptoms for just a few seconds or they can continue for several hours at a time. Dizziness can be a symptom of hearing loss, so consider having your hearing tested.
Imbalance or Unsteadiness
Difficulty walking, imbalance, and unsteadiness on your feet are balance disorder symptoms that are usually associated with any form of upright movement. You might experience a floating sensation, stumbling over your feet, the sensation of falling, or actually falling.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dizziness and Balance Disorders
Q. What causes dizziness and balance disorders?
A. Dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders have several possible causes, like:
- Infections in the middle or inner ear
- Head/brain injury, concussion, whiplash
- Blood circulation disorders affecting the inner ear or brain
- Age-associated balance disorders
- Certain medications or chemical toxins
However, some balance disorders can begin suddenly with no obvious cause.
Q. What do my ears have to do with my balance?
A. Your balance requires coordination between three body systems: your vision, your vestibular system, and your proprioceptive system (sensory input from your muscles and joints).
Balance disorders are the result of a disturbance or malfunction in one or more of these three systems. Your ears are responsible for 85 percent of the information provided to your brain to keep you balanced.
Your inner ear is the primary component in the vestibular system, responsible for detecting movements and changes of position as fluid stimulates the same hair cells that help transmit sound to your brain.
When these hair cells become damaged from noise exposure, age deterioration, illnesses, toxins, or head/ear trauma, you can experience dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and imbalance, but you might experience hearing loss as well.
The connection between your hearing and balance is well documented. Use this link to learn more.
Q. How do I know if I need a balance test?
A. The best way to determine if you need a balance test is to ask yourself these eight questions:
- Do you experience a feeling of motion, spinning, or falling when moving your head quickly or changing your position? (e.g., getting in/out of bed)
- Are you uncomfortable trying to get around in the dark or in dim light?
- Is it stressful to walk grocery store aisles or navigate through a mall or shopping center?
- Do your feet seem to have a mind of their own?
- Are you feeling a bit unsteady on your feet or fear that you are going to fall?
- Does looking at moving objects such as escalators or looking out the side window of a car make you queasy?
- Do you struggle to maintain your balance when you move from one surface to another, like from tile to carpet?
- Do you feel like you are drifting, floating, or being pulled to one side when walking?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, an in-office vestibular test is recommended.
Q. How are balance disorders treated?
A. The treatment for dizziness or balance disorders will depend on the specific cause of your symptoms and may include:
- Medications
- Lifestyle modification
- Physical or occupational therapy and repositioning exercises
- Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT)
- Assistive devices
- Surgical procedures
Diagnostic Vestibular Testing
Preparing for Your Assessment
In order to get the best results from your balance assessment, there are certain guidelines we ask our patients to follow before their appointment, including:
- Refrain from drinking alcohol during the immediate 24 hours before your balance assessment
- Do not wear mascara, eyeliner, or facial lotion when you come to the clinic
- Arrive 15-minutes before your appointment time so you can settle in and be at ease before testing begins
Vestibular, Equilibrium, and Neurodiagnostic Evaluation
Balance is a complex interaction that relies on input from the vestibular system (in the inner ear), vision, and the sensations from your feet, muscles, and joints. If any of these systems are not working properly, you will experience a loss of balance, unsteadiness, and/or dizziness or vertigo/spinning sensations.
Our highly trained balance specialists will do a thorough series of vestibular tests to help pinpoint the cause of your balance or dizziness issues. We use the industry’s most advanced technology, making it safe, easy, and comfortable.
Your visit will include a variety of simple yet technologically advanced assessments using highly specialized equipment that’s not available in most medical centers. Our testing process includes eye-movement tests to evaluate your inner ear function, as well as your central nervous system function.
Your appointment will last 60 to 90 minutes.
We truly care about improving your quality of life and well-being and will do everything we can to get you feeling sturdy and stable on your feet.
Schedule a Vestibular Test
Are you feeling dizzy or a bit unsteady on your feet, or is a loved one?
The symptoms you are experiencing could be related to a vestibular disorder in your inner ear. They can be more than just an uncomfortable inconvenience—they can lead to critical injuries from accidents and have deadly consequences.
Don’t put yourself and others at risk. Learn the truth about what might be causing your symptoms using the adjacent form to schedule a vestibular test.
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