Dizziness

Dizziness can happen for many reasons, from inadequate blood flow to inner ear disorders. The Neurology Care team in Waxahachie, Mesquite, and Mansfield, Texas, can help if you frequently experience dizziness. The highly skilled neurologists use advanced diagnostics to determine the cause of dizziness and offer expert treatment. Call Neurology Care today or book an appointment online to find the solution to your dizziness

What causes dizziness?

Dizziness is a symptom where you feel faint, unsteady, or unbalanced. You might also have vertigo, where it seems the room’s spinning around you. These problems can happen for several reasons, including:

Poor blood flow

Poor blood flow from heart disease, or carotid artery disease could mean there’s insufficient oxygen getting to your brain. Or you might suffer a sudden fall in blood pressure that makes you dizzy and could cause a loss of consciousness. Dizziness can sometimes be a symptom of these diseases, which could lead to potentially life-threatening heart attacks or strokes.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

BPPV is an inner ear condition that causes dizziness when you move your head in specific ways.

Vestibular neuritis

Vestibular neuritis is inflammation (often due to infection) of the vestibular nerve in your inner ear. It causes nausea and vomiting, in addition to dizziness.

Vestibular migraine

Vestibular migraines cause intense head pain, nausea, light sensitivity, and other typical migraine symptoms, but dizziness and vertigo are much worse.

Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is inner ear labyrinth inflammation. The labyrinth consists of fluid-filled channels that are vital to both hearing and balance.

Menière’s disease

Menière’s disease affects parts of your inner ear that assist with balance. It can cause hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing sounds in your ears), and dizziness and vertigo.

How is dizziness diagnosed?

To diagnose the cause of your dizziness, your Neurology Care provider reviews your symptoms and medical and family history and completes a physical exam.

They might ask you to make specific movements while they look at your eyes. Or they may use quantitative video-oculography to check for vestibular neuritis or stroke. Other tests include videonystagmography (VNG) and electronystagmography (ENG).

An MRI, which provides detailed brain and ear images, can also help diagnose your dizziness.

How is dizziness treated?

Dizziness treatments vary according to the cause. Infections might require antibiotics to eradicate bacteria. Anti-inflammatory medications can help if you have inflammation. 

A hands-on technique called canalith repositioning can help patients with BPPV. It involves moving your head in certain ways to displace the particles causing your condition.

Medical botulinum toxin injections can help reduce your symptoms if you have multiple migraine attacks every month. Medications like eptinezumab-jjmr may reduce the number of migraines you experience.

For expert dizziness diagnosis and treatment, call Neurology Care today or book an appointment online.