Dizziness and Fall Prevention

Are you experiencing dizziness?

Have you had an episode of feeling dizzy or lightheaded with weakness and nausea? Or have you experienced vertigo, which is dizziness that makes you feel like the room is spinning or moving? Since it greatly affects your quality of life, dizziness is a common reason people visit their doctor. Although it is rarely life-threatening, becoming dizzy can cause you to fall, which can result in a more serious injury, such as breaking a bone, injuring your hip, or hitting your head. You are also at risk for an accident if you experience dizziness while driving a car or operating heavy machinery. If you are experiencing dizziness, your doctor can help determine why and a treatment that is best for you.

Symptoms

Your dizziness may be accompanied by nausea or be so sudden or severe that you need to sit or lie down. Your symptoms may be triggered or worsened by standing up, moving your head, or while walking. The episode can last seconds, hours, or days, and it can happen again.

Causes

There are many possible causes of dizziness, such as inner ear problems, medications, and motion sickness. Your dizziness can be caused by an underlying health condition such as poor circulation, an infection, or an injury. The way you feel during a dizzy spell and what triggered the episode can provide clues for your doctor to determine the cause. Your doctor will also consider how long the dizziness lasts and any other symptoms to pinpoint the cause. Your dizziness can be caused by vertigo, which is a false sense that your surroundings are moving or spinning. With vertigo, your brain receives signals from the inner ear that are not consistent with what your eyes and sensory nerves receive. Vertigo is what happens as your brain tries to sort out the confusion.

Risk Factors

Your age and a past episode of dizziness put you at an increased risk of experiencing a dizzy episode. Older adults are more likely to have a medical condition that causes dizziness, feel a sense of imbalance, and take medications that can cause dizziness. For many, if you have experienced dizziness before, you are more likely to get dizzy again.

When should you see a doctor?

If you experience any sudden, severe, prolonged or recurrent episode of dizziness or vertigo, you should see your doctor. If you have severe dizziness or vertigo and you have any of these additional symptoms, seek emergency medical care:

• Chest pain
• Confusion or slurred speech
• Difficulty breathing
• Double vision
• Fainting
• Facial numbness or weakness
• Ongoing vomiting
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Seizures
• Stumbling or difficulty walking
• Sudden severe headache
• Sudden change in hearing
• Numbness or paralysis of arms or legs