Vertigo Treatment for Dizziness & Balance Disorders in Poway, San Diego
SAN DIEGO RANCHO ENT IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF MEDICAL PRACTICE
At Rancho Ear, Nose and Throat we are a doctor’s office:
- Where we strive to keep you on time because we know your time is valuable.
- Where phone calls are answered by our helpful team members, not an automated system.
- Where our staff looks you in the eye when you walk in—and greets you by name.
- Where appointments last as long as it takes to answer all your questions.
- Where your doctor learns your history & works with you to create a treatment plan you are completely comfortable with.
- Where the focus is on you, not your paperwork.
- Where you are a person as well as a patient.
What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is the illusion of movement when you are not moving that completely commands the entire attention of the body just to stay upright until the episode passes. Perhaps few things are more acutely debilitating than the symptom of vertigo. Failure to the system of balance surely would have made you food in the jungle, so the body has significant resources dedicated to making balance highly automatic and accurate.
It takes a complex integration of multiple body systems to maintain our balance. Failure of any one of those systems would be similar to a bad instrument player in the orchestra ruining the entire song. Diagnosing and managing symptoms of imbalance and vertigo is a challenging process for all physicians and patients alike, and many times requires the assistance of specialist physicians in all but the most straightforward cases.
Understanding balance problems requires a comprehensive understanding of the following:
- Functions of the ear
- Functions of the brain
- Functions of the sensory pathways of peripheral nerves from legs and feet
- Basic understanding of cardiovascular physiology to maintain adequate blood flow the ears and brain
- Understanding that the blood carries adequate sugar and oxygen to maintain the brain and nerve functions.
Injuries to the balance system most often occur at the ear level putting ear, nose and throat doctors (ENT doctors also known as Otolaryngologist) in the forefront of many dizziness evaluations. The ear houses not only the hearing organs, but the balance apparati which tell us where we are with respect to gravity, as well as whether we are moving, turning or staying still. In addition to having your otolaryngologist, primary physicians, cardiologists, neurologists, audiologist, and physical therapists often part of the balance evaluation and treatment team.
Common processes impairing balance and contributing to vertigo include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, viral labyrinthitis, Meniere’s disease and migraines. More serious causes can include stroke, heart arrhythmias, brain tumors, and other neurologic diseases. Of course, systemic problems such as diabetes, heart and vascular disease, low blood pressure, and anemia, amongst others, all may be contributory. Differentiating the cause generally takes a systematic approach that starts with a thorough history and physical. Though additional lab testing and scans and may be appropriate, effective use of testing and limiting the amount of needed testing can be achieved by being evaluated by a physician well verse in the management of balance and vertigo problems.
Learn More
To learn more about vertigo or to schedule an appointment for a symptom evaluation, please contact our Poway office by calling (858) 674-1165 today.
