Dizziness encompasses various sensations including feeling unsteady on your feet, woozy or faint. Often times, vertigo is experienced as if you or your surroundings are spinning or moving. These episodic symptoms may be triggered or made worse by walking, standing up or head movements.
It is estimated dizziness affects about 15-20% of adults yearly and almost 50% of people seek expert care for problematic symptoms. If you or a loved one are facing these types of troublesome challenges, do not feel alone.
Various conditions can cause dizziness as our brain constantly gets sensory inputs about body position and movement from sensitive sources, especially inner ears and eyes. Our body’s balance (vestibular) system is a group of inner ear organs which make us aware of spatial orientation relative to gravity. This balance system allows us to walk upright and follow objects with our eyes via three sensory systems:
What often causes dizziness? These common inner ear disorders:
BPPV or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo elicits dizzy feelings when you change your body position or move your head. Typically, these incidents last only a few seconds or minutes. Prompted by calcium crystals in your head moving out of place, the good news is that simple techniques, when expertly applied, can properly reposition crystals.
Meniere’s Disease results from accumulated fluid in the inner ear, often associated with distorted hearing, tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and nausea. These attacks can happen suddenly and last from minutes to hours. If you occasionally suffer from these systems, it is crucial to get thorough evaluation and consider treatment options including medications, diet changes or quitting smoking.
Whatever inner ear or hearing-related issues may bring on dizziness, the risk of falls is dangerous.
Did you know?
As we age, our risk of falling increases. Data shows approximately 67% of emergency room visits for adults 65-85+ are for falls, considered a leading cause of injury-related deaths. We share these facts so you will be well-informed. At home, work and play, fall prevention is a vital goal.
Did you know poor hearing may increase the risk of falls which can reduce mobility, ability to perform daily activities and life expectancy?
Research indicates those with hearing challenges have poorer postural balance, an important factor in standing and walking stability. This may be caused by having fewer sensory cues in daily surroundings which help with spatial orientation and hazard avoidance. Further, the shared pathways between hearing and balance-related brain structures can make it more difficult for older adults to focus reduced attention capacity in safely finding their way.
It is in the best interests of you and your loved ones to benefit from professional hearing tests and evidence-based balance evaluation. While many things in life surprise us, we know that hearing your best can help reduce the risk of falls.
While we take your hearing care seriously, a little laughter goes a long way.
Good Humor, Healthy Hearing
In close coordination with your other medical providers, we will help you the get the right diagnosis, the first time.
Our Patients Say It Best
“I have been a patient of their Mill Valley office for about three years. Dr. Marincovich and his staff are excellent & very professional. I got my 2nd pair today from Mona and she took the time to explain everything and test and fit my new devices perfectly. I can highly recommend this business.”
— angeldad94
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Meet Our Doctor
To health and staying connected,
Dr. Peter Marincoivch
