| I’m dizzy. Do I need a doctor’s referral to come to the BDC? Yes. Many kinds of dizziness can be handled by your GP. If your doctor chooses, he or she can refer you to our in house ORL specialist or a specialist of his or her choice and the specialist will order any tests or therapies that are required. You can make sure your GP and/or specialist knows that these tests are newly available at the Balance Disorder Centre. What kind of testing is available at the Balance Disorder Centre? We offer videonystagmography (VNG). This test helps your doctor determine if your dizziness is coming from your ears or your brain. During the test you will wear special video goggles, look at lights and have warm and cool air blown in your ears. Will the test make me feel dizzy? |
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| Possibly. Some people feel dizzy during the test and some people don’t. It is impossible to predict who will feel dizzy as people with the most dizziness in life can have the least dizziness during the test. If you do get dizzy, it should pass quickly. You should bring a driver with you during your appointment, just in case. My doctor says I have rocks or crystals in my ears making me dizzy. Can you help? Yes. We can help you perform a series of movements that is designed to rid you of that problem. The success rate is over 90%! My specialist has diagnosed my balance problem and says I need balance therapy. Do you do that? Yes. We have two programmes available. One is for people who have limited time for therapy appointments and are able to do exercises on their own 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times a day for 4-12 weeks. The other is for people who cannot work on their own or who can only do very gentle exercises on their own. The exercises are performed primarily in the office with a balance therapist one hour per week for eight weeks. Therapy programs are designed in accordance with the specialist diagnosis, so you must be diagnosed before beginning therapy. |