Dizziness and Vertigo in Houma & South Louisiana

Dizziness and vertigo are not the same thing, but they are often mixed up.

• Dizziness can make you feel lightheaded, woozy or unsteady on your feet.
• Vertigo is the feeling that you or the room is spinning even when nothing is moving.

These feelings may get worse when you walk, stand up, or move your head, and they can make you lose your balance. You may also have nausea, vomiting, sweating, trouble walking, or ringing in your ears.

Dizziness and vertigo can happen to anyone, but they are more common as you get older. As people age, they may have more health conditions and take more medicines, which increases the chance of dizziness.

Common causes of dizziness and vertigo may include:

• A sudden drop in blood pressure
• Dehydration
• Getting up too quickly
• Certain medicines
• Inner ear problems, such as Meniere's disease, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), the most common cause of vertigo
• Motion sickness
• Migraines
• A head injury or ear surgery

Sometimes dizziness or vertigo is a symptom of another condition.

Your provider will ask about your medicines and symptoms and may do a physical exam. They may check your hearing, balance, and how you walk.

You may need an imaging test if your provider thinks you may have had a stroke or if you've had a head injury.

Dizziness often gets better on its own, but if it keeps happening, your provider can help you find the cause and the right treatment. Treatment depends on the cause and may include balance exercises and medicines.

Get emergency help right away if you have sudden or severe dizziness or vertigo along with vision problems, slurred speech or weakness. These may be signs of a more serious condition.

Have you ever felt dizzy, lightheaded, or as if the room is spinning around you? If the feeling happens often, it could be a sign of a balance problem. Balance problems can make you feel unsteady. You may also have blurred vision, confusion, and disorientation. They are one cause of falls and fall-related injuries, such as a hip fracture (broken hip).

Some balance problems are due to problems in the inner ear. Others may involve another part of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Aging, infections, head injury, certain medicines, or problems with blood circulation may also cause balance problems.

It is important to see your doctor about balance problems. They can be a sign of other health problems, such as an ear infection or a stroke. Your doctor may send you to a specialist for a diagnosis. You may need a hearing test, blood tests, or imaging studies of your head and brain. Other possible tests look at your eye movements, and how your body responds to movement.

In some cases, treating the illness that is causing the disorder will help with the balance problem. Exercises, a change in diet, and some medicines also can help.