Your balance system helps you stand and move without falling. Your brain makes sense of information received from the nerves of your eyes, inner ear, muscles and joints to help you stay balanced. This complex system is known as your vestibular system.

Balance testing can help determine the cause of your dizziness or imbalance. Certain Audiologists or Acousticians with special equipment can perform diagnostic dizziness assessments. At the same time, you can expect to undergo a full diagnostic assessment of your hearing.
The test process determines the relationship between the components of your vestibular system. This will guide further medical and rehabilitation management.

Signs and Symptoms of a Balance Disorder

If your inner ear function changes suddenly (such as a viral infection), it results in a sense of dizziness or vertigo. This can feel as if the world is spinning or as if you are walking on a boat.
If your inner ear function changes slowly, it results in a sense of imbalance. Imbalance can also be aggravated by changes in vision, loss of muscular strength, or a loss of sensation in your legs and feet.

• Dizziness:
Vertigo
Lightheaded sensation
Confusion
Spatial discomfort

• Imbalance

• Drop attack: unprovoked fall without loss of consciousness

Balance Emergencies

You should see a doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms:
• Falling or problems walking
• Sudden hearing loss
• Sudden tinnitus
• Sudden blocked sensation in one ear
• Chest pains
• Numbness, tingling or weakness in your arms or legs
• Blurred vision
• Slurred speech
• Severe neck stiffness
• Head trauma or injury
• High fever