Dizziness can have a significant impact on daily life and greatly reduce quality of life. Recurrent dizziness can also have an impact on safety, as it often leads to falls. Whether it is sudden attacks of dizziness or persistent balance problems: Sufferers are often at a loss and look for help. Firstly, it is important to carry out a careful diagnosis and determine the cause. Once we know where your dizziness is coming from or what is causing it, we can draw up a treatment plan tailored to your individual problem. In our ENT practice clinic in Frankfurt we are here for you!
Vertigo is the most common neurological symptom after headaches. It manifests itself as a feeling of spinning, swaying or unsteadiness in space.
You often have the impression that your surroundings are moving or that you are spinning even though you are standing still. Dizziness can vary in severity and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, headaches or ringing in the ears.
There are many different triggers for dizziness. In many cases, there are disorders in one of the structures relevant to the sense of balance:
Common causes are impaired microcirculation in the ear Balance organs. Tension in the muscles or blockages in the cervical spine can also be associated with dizziness. In addition, high or low blood pressure and constriction of the blood vessels supplying the body can also be associated with dizziness.
If you feel dizzy, your sense of balance is impaired. It is characterised by three sensory perceptions:
The vestibular organs in the inner ears consist of the semicircular canals and the otolith organs (utriculus and sacculus). Sensors for the position and rotational movements of the head are located here. These structures react to movements of the head and the position of the body in space by registering changes in the fluid within the semicircular canals and otolith organs. They transmit this information to the brain.
The eyes provide the brain with important visual information about the environment and the position of the body in space. A stable visual environment is crucial for balance, as visual cues help to coordinate posture and movements.
There are also sensors in the muscles, skin and joints that provide feedback to the brain about the state/position you are currently in. These sensory signals help to control the body's balance and movements.
The interplay of these three sensory perceptions is essential for stable balance and safe orientation in space. A disruption to these systems can impair balance and lead to dizziness.
So that we can draw up a suitable treatment plan for you, it is important to find out exactly where your dizziness is coming from. Diagnosing dizziness involves several steps. These include
We will ask you in detail about your symptoms (type, duration, frequency and trigger of the dizziness). We will also clarify which accompanying symptoms occur (e.g. nausea, vomiting, hearing loss or headaches). We will also enquire about any previous illnesses, medication you are taking and your family history.
The preliminary consultation is followed by a physical examination. We will check your general state of health and carry out a classic ENT diagnosis, as you will be familiar with from other visits to our ENT clinic in Frankfurt. This means that we will examine your external auditory canal and eardrum, among other things, to rule out inflammation or other abnormalities.
The classic examination is followed by various tests. We use these to check your sense of balance and coordination. With the Video-ENG we examine the function of your vestibular organs in the inner ear. We can also assess the associated nerve pathways. We usually also carry out hearing tests. Based on the results, we can draw conclusions about possible connections between hearing loss and dizziness. In some cases, we also use blood tests and other imaging procedures such as MRI or CT.
We select the appropriate therapy depending on the cause. As with the Hearing loss and Tinnitus treatment We use the following for diseases of the vestibular organs (e.g. Meniere's disease or neuropathia vestibularis) with anti-inflammatory infusions or tablets.
Accompanying physical and physiotherapeutic therapy can be useful. Furthermore, an interdisciplinary assessment (ENT, internal medicine, neurology) of the vertigo symptoms can be important in order to find the optimal therapy.
We take the time to discuss your symptoms in detail. Small details can be of great importance in correctly categorising dizziness complaints. We can draw on many years of experience in treating vertigo patients.
In addition to the medical history, a detailed ENT examination is carried out with a special focus on findings relevant to dizziness. State-of-the-art diagnostic equipment is also used to examine the vestibular system. We are happy to advise you on preventive measures to strengthen and maintain your sense of balance. If necessary, we will initiate further diagnostic measures for you.
Talk to us! We are happy to offer you the dizziness assessment as a self-pay service in accordance with GOÄ.
Dizziness is a phenomenon that generally occurs very frequently. Many girls and boys in puberty unfortunately suffer from it due to hormonal changes in the body, but dizziness can also occur frequently in older people in particular.
Dizziness can depend on the type of feeling, but also on the situation and causes. The most common categories are
These are called attacks because the dizziness occurs suddenly and without warning. After a few seconds, minutes (sometimes even hours) the attack is over. In many cases, these attacks occur when the patient changes their head position or performs certain movements.
In this case, it is possible that ear stones trigger the attacks of vertigo or dizziness. Other causes may be a dysfunction of the vestibular organ or the vestibular nerves on both sides of the head.
The vestibule of the semicircular canals in the inner ear naturally contains tiny crystals of calcium/calcium carbonate, which are known as ear stones, otoliths or statoliths. In some cases, the small stones become detached from their original position and are distributed in the semicircular canals. There they irritate the sensory cells - especially with sudden head movements or, for example, after getting up in the morning.
The result: sometimes severe dizziness, which can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The symptoms often disappear again after a few seconds - at the latest, however, when the patient lies down quietly.
The problems caused by ear stones are known as peripheral paroxysmal positional vertigo (PPLS).
Ear stones worry many patients. However, diagnosis and treatment are simple. With a special positioning manoeuvre, the ear stones are made to disappear from the semicircular canals. In most cases, no medication is even required.
This could be a sign of Menière's disease. Vertigo migraine or certain vascular changes near the brain stem are also conceivable. These can affect the vestibular and auditory nerves. Other causes may be circulatory disorders or vascular calcification.
In this case, it is possible that the organ of balance on one side has failed. Furthermore, an acute inflammation of the inner ear can also trigger the symptoms. Sometimes permanent vertigo is also the result of an inflammation of the middle ear. Also possible: injuries to the base of the skull, baro trauma or damage to the cervical spine.
Barotrauma in the ear can be caused by a greater pressure difference between the outside and inside of the middle ear (e.g. when travelling by plane or during scuba diving or deep dives). It is therefore an injury due to increased air pressure, which is why it is also referred to as a pressure injury.
The person affected is no longer able to equalise the pressure. This can lead to damage and diseases of the middle ear or inner ear, which are accompanied by feelings of dizziness. In extreme cases, there is a risk of hearing loss or permanent eardrum retraction.
Meniere's disease is a disease of the inner ear. It can be recognised by three characteristic symptoms, which usually only occur in one ear.
This triad of symptoms includes
Meniere's disease can also be accompanied by a general feeling of illness, nausea, vomiting and a tendency to fall. In some cases, a horizontally rotating nystagmus is recognisable in the acute state. The eyes circle horizontally to the affected side and then move to the other side.
Dizziness is often nothing to worry about. Even perfectly healthy people get dizzy from time to time.
You should make an appointment with us if the dizziness occurs for no apparent reason and is severe and/or recurrent. Especially if other symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, fever or shortness of breath are also present. This should be clarified medically.
From a medical point of view, dizziness is rarely an emergency, as the triggers are usually benign or harmless and easy to treat. However, it is an emergency if the dizziness is accompanied by symptoms of paralysis, muscle weakness and numbness. These are signs of a stroke. Call the emergency number 112 immediately!
Dizziness with nausea, malaise, visual disturbances or unsteady gait often also lead to balance disorders. The affected person loses control of their posture and movement. The patient has the feeling that the room is spinning, that they are falling or flying upwards. They can no longer stand on one leg or walk in a straight line with their eyes closed.
This involves the so-called vestibular organ in the inner ear, which is responsible for balance. It consists of ring-shaped semicircular canals and cavities known as vestibular sacs. They each contain small hairs and a fluid. When the patient tilts their head to the side, the fluid shifts and the hairs tilt, which simultaneously register the movement and transmit the signal to the nerves in the brain. At the same time, the brain also consults other sensory organs, such as the eyes. This is how it analyses the information. If the signals from the inner ear and the other sensory organs do not match, the patient may experience dizziness with a balance disorder.
Ear stones can be a real challenge for those affected. These tiny calcium particles in the inner ear play an important role in the sense of balance. However, if they become dislodged and move to another part of the ear, they can cause unpleasant symptoms. Find out below what the typical symptoms are and how we can help you.
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