Educational Resources
Educational articles for vestibular, neurologic, and balance-related conditions.
Acoustic Schwannomas
An acoustic (vestibular) schwannoma is a slow-growing, noncancerous tumor on the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain, often causing one-sided hearing loss, tinnitus, or imbalance.
Cardiac Arrhythmias
An arrhythmia is a heartbeat that is irregular, too fast, or too slow. When the heart pumps less effectively, it can cause lightheadedness, palpitations, or fainting.
Cupulolithiasis
Cupulolithiasis is a form of BPPV in which crystal debris sticks to the cupula of a semicircular canal, causing positional vertigo with longer-lasting eye movements than typical BPPV.
Dizziness
Dizziness can mean spinning (vertigo), lightheadedness, or unsteadiness, and each points toward different causes.
Memory Loss/Dementia
Memory loss has many causes, some of them treatable. A neurologic evaluation separates normal aging from dementia, medication effects, and other conditions.
Meniere's Disease
Meniere's disease is an inner ear disorder that causes attacks of vertigo along with fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of fullness in the ear.
Migraine Variant
Migraine can cause much more than headache, including episodes of vertigo, visual disturbances, and fluctuating hearing or tinnitus, sometimes with little or no head pain.
Neuromuscular Disorders
Neuromuscular disorders affect the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, the junction between nerve and muscle, or the muscles themselves, causing weakness, numbness, and imbalance.
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Normal pressure hydrocephalus is a buildup of fluid in the brain that classically causes walking difficulty, memory problems, and bladder urgency, and it can improve with treatment.
Nystagmus
Nystagmus is an involuntary, rhythmic movement of the eyes. Its direction and pattern help show whether dizziness comes from the inner ear or the brain.
Orthostatic Hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension is a drop in blood pressure on standing that can cause lightheadedness, blurred vision, or fainting.
Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease is a progressive movement disorder that causes tremor, slowness, stiffness, and balance problems, and it can also affect blood pressure control.
Post-Concussive Syndrome/Traumatic Brain Injury
After a concussion or other head injury, dizziness, headache, imbalance, and trouble concentrating can persist for weeks or longer, and they often respond to targeted treatment.
Presbyastasis
Presbyastasis is the gradual, age-related decline in balance caused by changes in the inner ear, vision, sensation, and strength, and it raises the risk of falls.
Seizure Disorders
Seizures are bursts of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Some cause convulsions, while others cause brief staring spells, altered awareness, or unusual sensations.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and morning headaches and raising the risk of heart and blood pressure problems.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is ringing, buzzing, or other sound in the ears with no outside source. It often accompanies hearing loss and can be managed even when it can't be cured.
Vestibular Migraine
Vestibular migraine is a common cause of recurrent vertigo, in which migraine affects the balance system, with or without a headache.
Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise-based therapy that retrains the brain to compensate for inner ear problems, reducing dizziness and improving balance.
Viral Neuronitis & Labyrinthitis
Vestibular neuronitis and labyrinthitis are inflammations of the inner ear or its nerve, usually after a viral illness, that cause sudden, severe vertigo. Labyrinthitis also affects hearing.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo: brief spinning set off by changes in head position, caused by loose crystals in the inner ear.
The Inner Ear
The inner ear holds the cochlea for hearing and the vestibular organs for balance, which sense head rotation, gravity, and movement.
Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR)
The vestibulo-ocular reflex keeps vision steady during head movement by moving the eyes opposite to the head.