Ear And Balance Disorders Specialist

What are ear and balance disorders?

If you have balance problems, you can feel dizzy or like you might fall down. Many systems in the body must be working their best to ensure that your balance is normal. These systems include your eyes, muscles, joints, bones, heart, blood vessels, and the balance organ in your inner ear. If any of these systems function incorrectly, you’ll experience balance problems.

While many medical conditions can cause dizziness and unsteadiness, most balance problems result from problems with the balance organ in your inner ear, called the vestibular system.

What are the symptoms of ear and balance disorders?

The symptoms of ear and balance disorders related to the inner ear’s vestibular system include feeling a sensation of floating or other false sensations of motion, even when you’re sitting, standing, or lying still.

Ear and balance disorders symptoms include persistent postural-perceptual dizziness. This is an increased unsteadiness in the dark or a sensation of motion in your head that gets worse when you watch other objects move, when you read, or when you’re in a highly active environment. This disorder is often accompanied by other vertigo (dizziness) symptoms.

How are ear and balance disorders diagnosed?

When you visit your primary care doctor about balance problems or lightheadedness, they can refer you to ENT & Allergy Specialists of VA, PC for dizziness and balance testing called a vestibular evaluation.

A vestibular evaluation analyzes your central and peripheral balance systems with Video-nystagmography (VNG) and Vestibular Autorotation testing (VAT).

Video-nystagmography tests

During a VNG test, your inner ear and portions of the brain are tested to understand the cause of your dizziness or balance problems. You wear special goggles over the eyes that record your eye movements while you look at and track a lighted target.

Vestibular autorotation tests

A VAT test is a computerized test of your head and eye movements. Electrodes record eye movement while the head sensor records your head movements. The VAT diagnoses inner ear disturbances.

If your doctor prescribes ear and balance testing to determine the underlying cause of your dizziness and balance problems, contact ENT & Allergy Specialists of VA, PC. Call or use the online booking tool to schedule an appointment. These tests determine the cause of your symptoms so that your doctor can customize a treatment plan.