When Should You Seek Care for Dizziness?

Let’s be honest, feeling dizzy is not fun and can come with lots of emotions such as feeling frustrated, mad, sad, and lonely – especially when you are trying to live your day-to-day life.

Dizziness is often described by individuals as a sense of weakness, a sensation that the room is spinning, unsteadiness, a general feeling of being off balance, queasiness, or lightheadedness.

There could be many reasons why you experience dizziness, and it is important to consider that your dizziness may be different from how others experience it. Some reasons why you may be experiencing dizziness include:

• Breathing difficulties
• Tightness in neck muscles
• Motion sickness
• Decreased blood sugar
• Dehydration
• Heart complications
• Concussion
• Medications
• Poor circulation
• Traumatic brain injury
• Anxiety or stress
• Inner ear impairments

When experiencing dizziness, it is important to know when to seek medical help. You should call your physician if your:

1. Daily life is disrupted due to symptoms.
2. Symptoms start suddenly.
3. Symptoms keep coming back.
4. You do not know why you are experiencing dizziness.

You should go to the ER and seek emergent health care if you:

1. Continue vomiting.
2. Have any cardiac complications, including heart palpations, rapid or irregular heart rate and chest pain.
3. Have any signs of stroke which may include changes in speech, facial droop, metallic taste in the mouth, numbness or paralysis in limbs, confusion, headache or vomiting, difficulty swallowing, trouble with walking, vision changes and coordination changes.
4. Changes in breathing.
5. Abnormal head pain.

If you tend to have repeated bouts of dizziness, follow these tips:

1. Drink plenty of fluids.
2. Sit or lie down right away.
3. Maintain balanced meals.
4. Be aware of triggers such as light, movement, and noise.
5. Participate in physical therapy.
6. Medications to relieve dizziness.

It is important to consider that dizziness may be your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong, and you should contact your physician or seek emergent care to know why you are experiencing these symptoms. An evaluation from a physical therapist can also assist with decreasing or managing your symptoms. Depending on diagnosis, treatment may include balance exercises, vestibular system strengthening and mobility training.

Jaclyn Cook, D.P.T., is a physical therapist in Midland. She specializes in orthopedics, neuro rehabilitation, and Parkinson’s wellness recovery.