Have you ever experienced the sensations of spinning, lightheadedness, or imbalance? Do you have difficulty walking in the dark? If you have, you may have asked yourself “Why am I dizzy?”. When it comes to dizziness and balance, there are three main systems that contribute to your overall BALANCE SYSTEM.
- THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM is located in your inner ear, which is also where we hear.
- THE VISUAL SYSTEM allows us to process what we are seeing with our eyes.
- THE PROPRIOCEPTIVE SYSTEM allows us to process what we are feeling with our muscles and joints.
All three of these systems work together by sending information to the brain to help keep us aware of how we are moving and where we are positioned in space. If one or more of these systems is not functioning properly, you may become off-balance or dizzy.
To determine where the cause of your symptoms may or may not be coming from, your medical doctor may refer you for balance testing called Videonystagmography (VNG) testing. This helps provide important information to your medical doctor to rule out possible causes for your symptoms. During the testing, we evaluate your hearing and see how your eyes respond to changes in head and body movements to assess how the three parts of your balance system are working together.
Here at Gardner Audiology, we offer VNG testing in our Citrus Park (Tampa), Spring Hill, and Crystal River locations. For more information, call us at (800) 277-1182.
