Dizziness (Vertigo) and Balance Problems

Dizziness, or vertigo, described as a loss of balance or a feeling of lightheadedness, is a false sensation of movement.

In maintaining balance, the semicircular canals in the inner ear, the eyes, the joints and muscles, the brain, the cerebellum and the spinal cord function in connection and harmony with one another. For this reason, evaluating vertigo and balance disorders requires a multidisciplinary approach in which all the departments concerned with this system (Ear, Nose and Throat; Neurology; Cardiology; Internal Medicine; Physical Therapy; Audiology; Neurosurgery) work together.

The main balance center in the brain is made up of balance cells in the brainstem and cerebellum. Signals reaching these centers from the balance centers in the spinal cord, eyes and inner ear are evaluated in the brain, and commands are sent to cells located in the joints and tendons. This system indicates the position our body is in, or should be in, in three-dimensional space. This sense is called deep sensation (proprioception).

Balance is one of the body’s most integrated and complex functions and is achieved through three components.

• The eyes
• The vestibular system in the inner ear
• Deep sensation from the skin, muscles, tendons, joints and internal organs, which reports the body’s position in three-dimensional space

All of this is perceived and evaluated in the cerebellar system, and instructions are sent to the eyes and the muscles of the limbs, where they are carried out.