Your Northern Utah Vertigo Experts

Dizziness and vertigo not only contribute to nausea and malaise but can also cause you to feel unsteady on your feet, interrupting your ability to carry out the normal tasks of daily living and decreasing your quality of life.

Man feeling dizzy holding against a wall

According to statistics, vertigo is common in the general population, affecting more than 5% of adults each year. It is partially responsible for over 50% of the accidental deaths and over 300,000 hip fractures among the elderly.

If you or a loved one often experiences dizziness or vertigo and is looking for answers, you might be wondering, “Are there vertigo doctors near me?”

The answer and solutions to your dizziness and vertigo can be found at any of the four Utah Ear Institute audiology and balance clinics located in Bountiful, Tooele, Park City, and West Valley City. Our expertise combined with state-of-the-art technology allows us to conduct simple, non-invasive tests that lead to the diagnosis and treatment of dizziness and vertigo.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Are dizziness and vertigo the same?

Although often used interchangeably, dizziness and vertigo are two different sensations. Dizziness involves feeling lightheaded, foggy, or unsteady on your feet, while vertigo is an overall sensation that you or your surroundings are spinning, a type of dizziness while lying down.

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What are some common vertigo and dizziness causes?

Although not always related to issues that affect the inner ear, malfunctions of the vestibular system located in the inner ear tend to lead to a loss of our sense of balance and symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and loss of balance. Typical causes include:

Damage to the inner ear due to a cold virus
Inner ear damage related to head trauma
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which involves the displacement of otoconia from the utricle to the semicircular-canals, leading to false signaling to the brain and the sensation of vertigo
Meniere's disease, which is a buildup of pressure in the inner ear

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Can vertigo be treated?

Most causes of vertigo respond to physical therapy, medication, and time. Many causes of vertigo resolve spontaneously, but because of its seriousness in relation to balance and inner ear issues, it is critical to consult with a doctor of audiology for testing and treatment when you’re experiencing vertigo symptoms.

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Can vertigo be confused with the symptoms of other diseases or conditions?

Yes, this is pretty common because dizziness and vertigo are often used interchangeably. Dizziness can mean lightheadedness, typically produced by vascular problems or vestibular vertigo associated with inner ear issues. Rare types of strokes can cause vertigo, but they tend to accompany other neurological symptoms as well.

What Our Delighted Patients Say

Diagnosing Vertigo

Diagnosing vertigo or dizziness typically includes hearing and/or balance testing in order to determine the functional state of the vestibular system located in the inner ear and how it coordinates with the other systems in your body that help you maintain your balance. Testing could include:

These tests help us evaluate how your visual system is coordinating with your other balance systems. Electronystagmography (ENG) uses electrodes to record eye movements while the videonystagmography (VNG) version uses small cameras to record eye movements.

This test helps your audiologist measure the severity of your dizziness caused by the viewing of moving stripes and nystagmus (involuntary eye movement) during rotation. It involves seating you in a motorized chair that swivels from side to side and rotates at a controlled rate.

This test evaluates how well your inner ears, eyes, and the body’s muscles and joints work together to help you maintain your balance. It includes standing on a force-sensing surface with the support of a harness while being subjected to a movable visual surround.

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) tests help identify vestibular lesions that can contribute to balance issues. After attaching sensor pads to your neck, forehead, and under your eyes, we are able to measure each minute muscle contraction as you react to different sounds.

Your audiologist could use vHIT to measure your vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). When working properly, head movements are accompanied by equal and opposite eye movements (VORs) while limited reactions help pinpoint the cause of your imbalance.

Treatment for Vertigo

Although symptoms often resolve spontaneously or without treatment, dizziness treatment and vertigo therapy might include:

Canalith Repositioning

Used to treat BPPV, canalith repositioning helps remove the otoconia from the semicircular canal and return them to the utricle. Successful in treating 95% of cases, treatment takes only minutes and requires no more than 3-4 visits.

Medications

Beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin or serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs or SNRIs), topiramate, and others can be prescribed to ease the dizziness, vertigo, or motion sickness associated with MdDS as well as other medications to address the buildup of pressure related to Méniére’s disease.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)

The most common treatment used to address vertigo is VRT, or vestibular rehabilitation therapy, which involves manual head maneuvers and/or a progressive program of exercises designed to decrease the symptoms of vertigo, help overcome visual issues, and protect patients against falls related to imbalance.

Schedule an Appointment for Dizziness or Vertigo

Dizziness and vertigo have the potential to limit your capacity to carry out the common tasks of daily living, interrupt your social life, and lead to injuries from balance-related falls. The vertigo experts at Utah Ear Institute have the experience and equipment to provide an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the treatment or therapy designed to address your condition.

Contact us to schedule an appointment for dizziness or vertigo by submitting the adjacent form, and one of our patient care specialists will contact you to provide assistance.

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