Dizziness Assessment in Calgary
Dizziness can feel unsettling, unpredictable, and difficult to explain. You may feel lightheaded, off-balance, foggy, unsteady, or like the room is spinning. For some people, dizziness appears after a concussion, illness, migraine, neck injury, or inner ear issue. For others, it seems to come out of nowhere.
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Dizziness Is Not One Single Condition
Dizziness is a symptom, not a diagnosis. That means two people can both say they feel “dizzy” but be describing completely different experiences. One person may feel like the room is spinning. Another may feel faint, foggy, visually overwhelmed, unsteady, or pulled to one side. This distinction matters because the right care depends on the underlying system involved. Dizziness can be related to the vestibular system in the inner ear, the visual system, the neck, blood pressure regulation, migraine activity, concussion, anxiety, medication effects, or neurological processing. NHS Inform notes that dizziness can mean different things to different people, including feeling lightheaded, off-balance, or as though the surroundings are spinning.
Common Ways Patients Describe Dizziness
Patients often describe dizziness as feeling lightheaded, woozy, floating, rocking, spinning, faint, unsteady, disconnected, visually sensitive, or unable to walk in a straight line. Some people feel worse in grocery stores, busy environments, scrolling screens, elevators, vehicles, or crowds. Others notice symptoms when turning their head, rolling in bed, standing up quickly, exercising, bending forward, or looking up. Vertigo is one specific type of dizziness. It usually refers to a spinning or moving sensation, either as if you are moving or the environment is moving around you. Cleveland Clinic describes vestibular disorders as conditions that affect balance and commonly cause dizziness and vertigo, with treatment options that may include vestibular rehabilitation therapy.
What Can Cause Dizziness?
Dizziness can come from several overlapping sources. Some patients have a primarily vestibular issue, meaning the inner ear and balance pathways are involved. Others experience dizziness after concussion, whiplash, migraine, prolonged stress, viral illness, or changes in blood pressure regulation. In some cases, dizziness is associated with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, often called BPPV, where brief spinning episodes are triggered by changes in head position. Other patients may have vestibular migraine, cervicogenic dizziness related to the neck, persistent postural-perceptual dizziness, post-concussion dizziness, visual motion sensitivity, dysautonomia, or Mal de Débarquement Syndrome. Balance also depends on how the brain integrates signals from the eyes, inner ears, joints, muscles, and nervous system. Cleveland Clinic explains that balance problems can occur when the brain cannot properly process signals from the eyes, ears, and body.
How We Assesses Dizziness
Dizziness is a broad symptom that can have many different causes. Some people describe dizziness as feeling lightheaded, unsteady, off-balance, disoriented, or as though they are floating or moving when they are not. Others may experience dizziness alongside visual disturbances, headaches, neck discomfort, nausea, fatigue, or difficulty concentrating. Because dizziness can originate from the vestibular system, visual system, cervical spine, nervous system, cardiovascular factors, or a combination of these, our assessment focuses on identifying the factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.
Dizziness Care Approach
Care is individualized based on the results of your assessment and the underlying factors contributing to your symptoms. Depending on your findings, care may include vestibular rehabilitation exercises, balance and proprioceptive retraining, eye-head coordination exercises, visual tracking activities, neurological stimulation exercises, movement-based rehabilitation, and cervical spine therapy when neck involvement is present.
When Should You Seek Help for Dizziness?
You may benefit from an assessment if you experience persistent or recurring dizziness, unexplained episodes of lightheadedness or imbalance, dizziness that worsens with movement or position changes, motion sensitivity, visual motion intolerance, difficulty maintaining balance, or symptoms that interfere with work, exercise, driving, or daily activities. However, some forms of dizziness may require immediate medical attention. Seek urgent medical care if dizziness is accompanied by sudden weakness, facial drooping, difficulty speaking, loss of consciousness, chest pain, severe headache, sudden vision loss, or other significant neurological symptoms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dizziness
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Dizziness is a general term used to describe sensations such as lightheadedness, unsteadiness, imbalance, disorientation, or feeling as though you are moving when you are not. Some people describe dizziness as feeling "off balance," "foggy," or "not quite right."
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No. Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness characterized by the sensation that you or your surroundings are spinning, tilting, or moving. Dizziness is a broader term that can include vertigo, lightheadedness, imbalance, and other sensations.
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Dizziness can have many possible causes, including inner ear disorders, vestibular dysfunction, migraines, neck-related conditions, neurological conditions, visual disturbances, cardiovascular issues, medication side effects, dehydration, and metabolic conditions. Identifying the underlying cause is an important part of determining appropriate management.
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You should seek immediate medical attention if dizziness occurs suddenly and is accompanied by symptoms such as severe headache, facial drooping, weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, double vision, chest pain, or loss of consciousness. These symptoms may indicate a serious medical condition requiring urgent evaluation.
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Some individuals experience dizziness alongside neck pain, stiffness, or restricted neck movement. This is sometimes referred to as cervicogenic dizziness. Altered sensory input from the neck may affect how the brain processes information related to balance and spatial orientation.
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Yes. Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms following a concussion. Individuals may experience balance difficulties, visual motion sensitivity, headaches, brain fog, motion intolerance, or difficulty focusing during daily activities.
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Yes. Vestibular migraine can cause dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, motion sensitivity, and visual disturbances. Some individuals experience dizziness episodes even when a headache is absent.
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A dizziness assessment is a comprehensive evaluation designed to identify factors that may be contributing to symptoms. Depending on the individual, the assessment may include a review of medical history, symptom analysis, eye movement testing, balance and gait assessment, vestibular evaluation, neurological screening, and cervical spine assessment.
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Yes. Dizziness and balance problems often occur together because the vestibular, visual, and proprioceptive systems work together to help maintain stability. When one or more of these systems is not functioning optimally, balance and coordination may be affected.
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Many dizziness-related conditions may benefit from targeted rehabilitation approaches designed to address vestibular function, balance, eye movements, coordination, movement confidence, and other contributing factors. Appropriate management depends on identifying the underlying cause of symptoms.
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We do not require a referral. Although referral requirements vary depending on the healthcare provider and location. Many clinics allow patients to book a dizziness assessment directly, while others may coordinate care with your physician or specialist when appropriate.
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Conditions commonly associated with dizziness include:
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Vestibular neuritis
Labyrinthitis
Ménière's disease
Vestibular migraine
Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS)
Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
Concussion and post-concussion symptoms
Cervicogenic dizziness
Stroke-related balance disorders
Multiple sclerosis
Visual-vestibular dysfunction
Anxiety-related dizziness
Every individual experiences dizziness differently, which is why a thorough assessment is often the first step toward understanding the factors contributing to symptoms.
Get a Dizziness Assessment
If you are experiencing Dizziness, identifying the underlying cause is the first step toward improving your symptoms.
Book a 30-minute Virtual or Phone Case Review consultation, we’ll listen to your symptoms, answer your questions, and help you determine the most appropriate next steps for care.
