How To Rule Out Vertigo Or Other Inner Ear Balance Problems For Occasional Positional Dizziness?

Posted on Sat, 27 Jan 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 27 Jan 2018 Answered on

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : RE: HOW TO RULE OUT VERTIGO OR OTHER INNER EAR BALANCE PROBLEMS FOR OCCASSIONAL POSITIONAL DIZZINESS (UPON RISING OUT OF BED/BENDING OVER TOUCHING FLOOR). My 85 yr. old mother: in good physical health; some noticeable cognitive decline; urine color appears normal/though possible dyhyration; takes only Synthroid (stable for years/blood labs chckd every 6 months), no other meds, OTC, supplements, etc. Recent CT scan for a mild fall showed "a few scattered deep subcortical white matter hypodensities most commonly seen in setting of chronic ischemic changes"; no other abnormalities. Previous brain MRI (done 4-6 yrs. ago) showed "hardening/narrowing of arteries" no other abnormalities. Q: Could dizziness be pre-cursor to possible stroke? Q: How to rule out vertigo (she denies any spinning of room sensation) or other inner ear/balance issues? Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Imbalance

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to HealthcareMagic and thanks for putting up the query
Imbalance can be due to inner ear disease or neuromuscular cause or some other reason like electrolyte imbalance or hypertension etc.
Any imbalance due to inner ear disease usually associated with hearing difficulty or ringing in the ears. It can be diagnosed by doing a proper examination and doing some manoeuvres. You should consult an Ent specialist and get her examined.
All the causes must be ruled out as age related imbalance issues are multifactorial.
Any further questions are always welcome.
Take care
Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (23 hours later)

What are the various types of positional maneuvers used within the ENT office and what are their names in terms of possible vertigo? Also, due to 85 yr. old's cognitive decline, she may not be describing her dizziness accurately and might be describing dizziness instead of a vertigo sensation so vertigo should not be ruled out necessarily. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (14 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Imbalance

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Epleys manoeuvre is used to treat benign positional vertigo.
Any further questions are always welcome.
Take care
Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad