Balance and vertigo
Balance and vertigo
Balance consultations are for spinning, unsteadiness, or a dizziness that will not settle. The ear is one cause. It is not the only one. The visit separates those. It does not score your symptoms.
On this page
What this visit is for
People come because the room spins when they turn in bed, because an attack arrived with nausea, or because they feel unsteady even when the spinning has stopped. Some have a change in hearing or ringing with it. Some have a headache. Those details decide the examination. They are not a diagnosis you can finish from a list.
What the consultation may involve
- A precise history of the first seconds: what you were doing, how long it lasted, and what else came with it.
- An examination of eye movements, and positional testing when the story suggests it.
- A hearing test when the ear may be involved.
- A scan only when the pattern is not a straightforward ear problem.
What should not come through the form
Dizziness with double vision, difficulty speaking, weakness, a sudden severe headache, chest pain, or fainting needs emergency care. Spinning with a sudden hearing drop should be assessed the same day by phone or in an emergency department if the clinic is closed.
Practical questions
Is every dizzy spell vertigo?
No. Vertigo means a false sense of spinning. Feeling faint, or vaguely off balance, can be something else. The first sentence of the history usually shows which.
What if this feels urgent?
Difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, or a throat that is swelling quickly needs emergency care. Do not wait for a reply to the website form. A hearing loss that arrives suddenly should be assessed the same day: call the clinic, or go to an emergency department if the clinic is closed.