Experiencing dizziness can significantly throw your life off-kilter.
We take stability for granted. Outside of the occasional loss of balance, we don’t really think about it much. Balance or stability as an autonomous function allows us to move, walk, drive, and live a healthy and active lifestyle.
When we experience dizziness, even the most mundane of everyday activities are difficult. For many, a feeling of dizziness is very scary and confusing.
Most sources of dizziness and imbalance can be traced back to the inner ear, which is primarily responsible for balance and orientation.
Proper treatment for dizziness requires a highly specialized ear doctor.
Audiology by Accent and Acccent ENT have Gainesville’s only private practice otolygist, which is an ENT doctor with special expertise on disorders of the ear, including balance and dizziness issues.
The most common cases of dizziness seen at Accent ENT in Gainesville can be grouped into three categories.
BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
BPPV develops due to a disturbance in the ear, and causes sudden spinning sensations. Nearly everyone experiences vertigo occasionally such as when you stand up too fast. BPPV increases both the frequency and the duration of these events; in other words, its symptoms are repeated episodes of positional vertigo, that is, of a spinning sensation caused by changes in the position of the head. BPPV is the most common cause of the symptoms of vertigo.
People with vertigo often experience nausea, vomiting, vision loss, hearing loss, and loss of balance resulting from their dizziness.
Ménière’s Disease
While the precise cause of Ménière’s disease is unknown, it has been linked to head injuries and inner ear infections. Approximately 50,000 to 100,000 people are diagnosed each year with the disease, and symptoms can strike without warning. Severe cases can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, and intestinal discomfort.
Ménière’s can affect hearing and balance to varying degrees. It is associated with episodes of vertigo, low-pitched tinnitus, and hearing loss that fluctuates and alternates between ears. This means hearing comes and goes, alternates between ears for some time, then becomes permanent with no return to normal function. The condition affects people differently; it can range in intensity from being a mild aggravation to a lifelong condition.
Age Related Imbalance
Nearly 40% of people over the age of 65 who live at home fall down. These falls cause hundreds of thousands of injuries every year. Since balance is a complex function, it isn’t surprising there is typically more than one cause of imbalance in the elderly, which can include loss of vision, vestibular system (the balance system in the ear), muscle strength, and joint mobility, as well as a side effect of medication. Increased vertigo and dizziness can also be caused by low blood sugar, cardiac problems, strokes, or anxiety.
People suffering from balance and dizziness disorders, such as BPPV (vertigo), Meniere’s disease, and age-related imbalance, can regain stability in their life by visiting Accent ENT’s dizziness and imbalance disorder center.
The center works with Accent Audiology to provide comprehensive care.
Within the field of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, there are many different subspecialties, and Accent is the only practice in North Central Florida that has physicians that specialize in all of these areas. Our areas of Otolaryngology expertise include speech and swallowing problems, hearing and balance disorders, allergy treatment and sinus surgery, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, pediatric ENT problems, and cancer of the head and neck.