Vertigo, dizziness or balance disorders make people feel off-balance, unsteady or like they are spinning or floating.

Many of the causes of these disorders are related to the ear. They manifest themselves as vertigo (or spinning) and nausea. Sometimes the dizziness may only last a minute or less; symptoms can often disappear for periods of time as well.

Vertigo can be serious; it increases the chances of a person falling down because of severe imbalance, the feeling of constant motion, room spinning, stumbling or simply the fear of falling, but one common mistake doctors make is to assume that the cause of all vertigo, dizziness and balance issues is the inner ear.

Our balance system works in conjunction with the visual and skeletal systems to maintain proper balance and orientation. Our brains accept visual signals about how the body is positioned and its relationship to its surroundings.