Why am I dizzy?

First off, it is important to realize that dizziness is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Also, there are numerous reasons you can feel dizzy. Maybe you started a new medication that could be factoring into symptoms. Perhaps you haven’t had the proper nutritional intake, so your blood sugar or vitamin levels are low. It could be as simple as dehydration. It could be more complex due to a known or undiagnosed condition of the heart, central nervous system, migraine, or anxiety disorder. While it can sometimes be a daunting task to find the root cause of this symptom yourself, this is where your medical team is so important to work together to find the cause.

In my experience as a physical therapist, specializing in the vestibular system, I can help to identify if the vestibular system could be the cause of your dizziness symptoms. The number one question I get after saying this is, “What is the vestibular system?”. I am never surprised by this question, because when it is working properly, no one would identify that they have this system in place. But after bouts of dizziness or an acute occurrence of spinning, this should be a term you start to learn and have assessed if other causes are not obvious.

So what is the vestibular system? It is a tiny organ, about the size of the tip of your little finger! it sits in the inner most portion of both inner ears. It’s job is to provide a sense of balance and give information to your brain about the position of your body, relative to gravity and linear motion. If this system is impaired, you can feel dizzy, off-balance, or have vertigo (spinning sensation).

So, if you are struggling to find a reason to explain your dizziness, please inquire about an evaluation of your vestibular system, by a vestibular experienced clinician. If involved, a treatment plan can be put in place to work towards eliminating or significantly reducing the symptoms. While prescriptions and/or referrals (or any input) from your physician/medical team are always welcome, per NYS Direct Access Law, patients can be seen by any physical therapist (who has been treating for at least 3 years) for 10 visits or 30 calendar days (whichever comes first) without a prescription. It is important that you make sure that the physical therapist is well versed in the vestibular system so that your needs will be properly met. This is where Steady Motion PT comes in.

Let’s STEADY the Motion together!