What Causes Dizziness And Balance Issues?

Posted on Wed, 13 Aug 2014

Question: hi my name is XXXXXXX i have a question about balance issues. Back at Christmas I woke up with vertigo. about 3 months after that I went to a doctor and had an MRI done and had my ears checked. well they said my one ear wasn't working as well as it used to which was causing my balance issues. my question is sometimes I feel as the floor is moving when I walk and feel unstable. then sometimes I'm ok. I do suffer from panic attacks and anxiety so I do dwell on it A lot. could I have phobic positional vertigo or is feeling like that just part of balance issues? if so will it ever go away?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Please look down...

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for posting the query. I gone through your query and understand your problem well.

Positional vertigo cannot be long standing. The dizziness is usually momentary and the intensity reduces with repeated attacks.

The next common ear cause is Ménière's disease. This constitutes dizziness with associated hearing loss and tinnitus in the ear. But, your history doesn't mention of the latter two symptoms.

If ear labyrinth is involved, by now, the other ear would have compensated for the loss and you would have become normal.

Hence, other probable causes need to be ruled out, such as neurological, cervical vertigo and ophthalmic causes.

Hence you have to get the eyes checked thoroughly along with cervical spine. Also, consult a good Neurologist to rule out other medical causes of dizziness.

Hope I have answered your query; I'll be available for the follow up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju