Dizziness Depot

After a unilateral peripheral injury, such as would occur with vestibular neuritis, there is a predictable set of clinical signs and symptoms that occur. In addition to an initial period of acute vertigo, there is often a period of motion intolerance that follows. The acute vertigo usually lasts for several hours, but gradually decreases over a period of three to

Multiple sources agree that the most common causes of the complaints of dizziness and vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, vestibular migraine, orthostatic hypotension, vestibular neuritis, and Ménière’s disease.  There are subtle differences in the symptom presentation, duration, provoking or exacerbating factors that guide the examiner to the diagnosis. Vestibular neuritis almost always presents as an isolated episode of vertigo

As we and many others have discussed in previous blogs and articles, the word “dizzy” is a broad and ineffective descriptor of symptoms that might bring someone to a vestibular clinic. I did an eight part series on this topic about ten years ago. It is important to get additional information to venture any guess as to the possible cause of the

Recently, I was reading an article discussing the differences in symptoms among adults with canal versus otolith vestibular dysfunction, which raises some important questions for the future of vestibular assessment. As most clinicians know, a detailed case history is essential in establishing a diagnosis of peripheral vestibular dysfunction, with the qualitative nature of the symptoms being important in reaching a

As Halloween draws near we thought we would look into the question of “can you be scared dizzy?”. I will preface this post by stating that feeling fearful or being scared would not directly trigger dizziness symptoms associated with most inner ear conditions and in turn, the majority of the conditions discussed are outside of my area of specialty. The

The Romberg test, sometimes spelled Rhomberg, is a commonly used but often misunderstood screening test for standing balance. It involves having the patient stand with feet together and arms either folded across the chest or at the sides. Initially, the patient’s ability to maintain this position with minimal swaying is observed. Subsequently, the patient is asked to stand with eyes

September is falls prevention awareness month and as such we are going to discuss some of the more common risk factors for falling. Falls are an enormous problem that can impact one’s health, quality of life and financial stability. Falls are the second leading cause for unintentional injury death worldwide and cost over $50 billion in medical expenses in the

I received an email a couple of weeks ago from Deanne asking questions about Vestibular Neuritis (VN) and associated chronic symptoms. With her permission, because her questions are both relevant and typical of many patients with VN, I am responding through this blog in a Q and A format. Deanne’s questions in Italics. My responses in bold. Links to relevant

My most recent blog discussed the state (or lack thereof) of the development of a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for acute vertigo. I ended the blog with the following thought: “Is it possible that a Clinical Practice Guideline for acute vertigo could result in more accurate diagnosis and more effective treatment, while at the same time dramatically reducing cost? There

When patients arrive in the Emergency Department with the complaint of dizziness or vertigo, there is a 40 to 50% chance that a cranial CT will be ordered. When that same patient is evaluated through telehealth by a specialist with advanced knowledge and skill in evaluating dizziness and vertigo, there is only a 2% chance that a cranial CT will