Dizziness & Vertigo
Causes in Austin, TX
Room-spinning vertigo, lightheadedness, or feeling unsteady on your feet? Because the inner ear controls your balance, an ENT is often the right specialist to find the cause. Learn the common causes of dizziness, which type you may have, when it's an emergency, and how our Austin team can help.
What causes dizziness?
Most dizziness that an ENT sees comes from the inner ear, which controls your balance. The most common causes are BPPV (brief spinning with head movement), vestibular neuritis (sudden vertigo, often after a virus), and Meniere's disease (vertigo with hearing loss and ear ringing). Dizziness can also come from blood pressure, dehydration, medications, migraine, or anxiety.
Dizziness is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor, and one of the most confusing, because so many different systems can cause it. The good news is that inner-ear causes, which are the most common, are usually very treatable once they're correctly identified.
The pattern matters: how long it lasts, what triggers it, and whether it comes with hearing changes all help point to the cause. That's what an ENT and balance evaluation is designed to sort out.
- BPPV (spinning with head movement)
- Vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis
- Meniere's disease (fluid in the inner ear)
- Vestibular migraine
- Ear infections & eustachian-tube problems
- Low blood pressure or dehydration
- Medication side effects
- Anxiety or hyperventilation
Vertigo, Lightheadedness, or Imbalance?
"Dizzy" means different things to different people, and which one you feel helps point to the cause.
Vertigo
A false sense that you or the room is spinning or tilting. Vertigo usually points to the inner ear or the balance nerve, and it's the type ENTs most often treat.
Lightheadedness
Feeling faint, woozy, or like you might pass out. This is more often related to blood pressure, dehydration, blood sugar, or medications than to the inner ear.
Imbalance
Feeling unsteady on your feet or veering to one side, especially when walking. It can come from inner-ear, neurological, vision, or muscle and joint problems.
The Most Common Inner-Ear Causes
These four conditions account for the majority of the dizziness an ENT diagnoses, and each is treatable.
BPPV
The most common cause of vertigo. Tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear shift out of place, triggering brief, intense spinning when you move your head, like rolling over in bed or looking up. It's very treatable with a simple repositioning maneuver.
Vestibular Neuritis
Inflammation of the inner ear or balance nerve, usually after a viral illness. It causes sudden, severe vertigo that can last days, often with nausea and unsteadiness, and typically improves with time and vestibular therapy.
Meniere's Disease
A disorder of inner-ear fluid that causes episodes of vertigo lasting minutes to hours, along with fluctuating hearing loss, ringing (tinnitus), and ear fullness. Management focuses on reducing how often and how severely attacks occur.
Other Causes
Vestibular migraine, medication side effects, low blood pressure, dehydration, and anxiety can all cause dizziness. An ENT evaluation helps separate inner-ear causes from these other factors so treatment targets the right one.
BPPV is the single most common cause of vertigo, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery's clinical practice guideline on BPPV recommends a simple in-office repositioning maneuver (the Epley maneuver) as the first-line treatment. Learn how the Epley maneuver works.
When Dizziness Is an Emergency
Dizziness is rarely dangerous, but a few warning signs mean you should get help right away.
Short of those emergencies, it's worth seeing an ENT for a balance evaluation if you have:
- Vertigo that keeps coming back or lasts more than a few minutes
- Dizziness along with hearing loss, ringing, or ear fullness
- Spinning triggered by specific head positions
- Repeated falls or ongoing unsteadiness on your feet
How Capital ENT Diagnoses & Treats Dizziness
Our board-certified ENT physicians and audiologists evaluate your inner ear and balance system, pinpoint the cause, and treat it, whether that's a repositioning maneuver for BPPV, managing Meniere's disease, or a vestibular therapy plan.
- In-office balance and vestibular testing
- Epley and repositioning maneuvers for BPPV
- Hearing evaluation when dizziness affects the ears
- Management of Meniere's disease and vestibular migraine
- Ruling out medication and blood-pressure causes
- A detailed history of your dizziness & triggers
- An ear and balance exam, including positional testing
- A hearing test if your ears are involved
- A treatment plan aimed at the specific cause
Dizziness FAQ
Most dizziness that an ENT sees comes from the inner ear, which controls balance. The most common causes are BPPV (brief spinning triggered by head movement), vestibular neuritis (sudden vertigo, often after a virus), and Meniere's disease (vertigo with hearing loss and ear ringing). Dizziness can also come from low blood pressure, dehydration, medications, migraine, or anxiety.
Dizziness is a general word for feeling unsteady, woozy, or faint. Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness: a false sense that you or the room is spinning or moving. Vertigo usually points to the inner ear or balance nerve, while lightheadedness is more often related to blood pressure or circulation.
BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) is the single most common cause of vertigo. Tiny calcium crystals in the inner ear move out of place and trigger brief, intense spinning when you change head position. It's very treatable, usually with a simple in-office repositioning maneuver such as the Epley maneuver.
Yes. The inner ear houses the vestibular system, which senses head movement and keeps you balanced. Problems like BPPV, vestibular neuritis, Meniere's disease, and ear infections are among the most common causes of dizziness and vertigo, which is why an ENT is often the right specialist to evaluate it.
Call 911 if dizziness comes on suddenly with any stroke warning signs: face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech, a sudden severe headache, double vision, numbness, confusion, or trouble walking. Most dizziness is not dangerous, but these signs need immediate emergency care.
See an ENT if vertigo keeps coming back, if dizziness comes with hearing loss, ringing, or ear fullness, if you have repeated falls or ongoing unsteadiness, or if spinning is triggered by specific head positions. An ENT can identify the inner-ear cause and provide targeted treatment.
More Balance Resources
Dizziness & Imbalance Treatment
Ready for answers? See how our ENT and balance team evaluates and treats dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders in Austin.
Learn More →BPPV & the Epley Maneuver
The most common cause of vertigo, explained, plus how the simple in-office Epley maneuver puts the inner-ear crystals back in place.
Learn More →What Is Meniere's Disease?
Vertigo with hearing loss and ear ringing can be Meniere's disease. Learn the symptoms and how it's managed.
Learn More →Find Out What's Causing Your Dizziness
Austin's ENT and balance specialists can pinpoint the cause of your dizziness and help you feel steady again. Same-day appointments available at all four Central Texas locations.