Balance and Dizziness

Dizziness can be caused by many different things like injury or medications, but a lot of the time, dizziness and imbalance comes from a disruption to the inner ear. A visit to your audiologist for a comprehensive balance assessment is a great first step in getting to the bottom of what is making you feel dizzy.

Vertigo is the sensation that the room or environment is spinning around you. The term vertigo is sometimes used interchangeably with dizziness, but they can actually be quite different! True vertigo is typically triggered by position changes and occurs episodically, while dizziness could come on seemingly randomly and last for long periods of time.The most common cause of true vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). In most cases, BPPV can be resolved in the office within two visits.

Yes, at Levine Hearing, our audiologists can perform a thorough evaluation on individuals who experience motion sickness. There are two types of motion sickness: chronic, meaning the individual has had lifelong symptoms, and acquired, meaning the individual begins to experience symptoms of motion sickness later in life. Acquired motion sickness typically begins following a disruption to the inner ear.

Please call us at (704) 540-3081, email us at Manager@LevineHearing.com, or visit our website to schedule an appointment. We will be more than happy to help guide you through this journey!

Finding relief will depend on what is causing your dizziness. A thorough evaluation will give us the information needed to determine the appropriate next steps for your recovery. Some individuals may find relief in as little as one appointment!

In order to obtain the most accurate results possible, there are just a few things we ask of you prior to your visit:

• If possible, please avoid taking any anti-dizziness or anti-nausea medications within 48 hours of your appointment as they may interfere with the test results. All other essential medications are fine to take! Examples of anti-dizziness and anti-nausea medications are listed below:
  • Anti-vertigo medicines: Antivert, Ru-vert, or Meclizine
  • Anti-nausea medicine: Atarax, Dramamine, Compazine, Antivert, Bucladin Phenergan, Thorazine, Scopolamine, Transdermal
• Be sure to eat lightly before your appointment.
• Avoid alcohol for 48 hours prior to your appointment as it may interfere with the results.
• Be sure to not wear makeup to the appointment as it may interfere with our ability to accurately visualize your eye movements.

We encourage you to still come to your appointment! Even if you are not symptomatic on the day of your visit, our highly sensitive test battery will still give us accurate results. The sooner we see you, the sooner we can help prevent future episodes.

Treatment depends on what is causing your dizziness. If your diagnosis is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), in most cases, it can be resolved in the office within two visits. In some cases, a referral must be made to the appropriate specialist for follow-up care.

We will make sure to make you feel safe and comfortable during the entire appointment. Most patients feel better or the same after the appointment.

Doctors of audiology are highly specialized in analyzing the inner ears’ involvement in dizziness and imbalance. We are able to look at different functions of your inner ear and eye movements and how these signals get passed along to the brain. At Levine Hearing, our doctors are trained through The American Institute of Balance (AIB).

The appointment typically lasts between 90 minutes and two hours.

At your visit, we will have you wear a pair of goggles that allows us to track your eye movements as we gently maneuver you through different positions and motions. This allows us to evaluate your inner ear in relation to your eyes and how these systems communicate with your brain. All of the testing is pain-free, and we will make sure you feel comfortable throughout the entire duration of your visit.

Yes. For insurance purposes, a referral from your physician is required. However, we will take care of obtaining the referral for you after you schedule your appointment with us!

Most insurances do cover the cost of the assessment. We are currently in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, and Medicare. If you have a different insurance, we do offer a self-pay option.