I’m so dizzy, my head is spinning

Jul 09th, 2018 / Nicki Chick

by Jeremy Parker. Consultant Physiotherapist and Dizzy Specialist Fitzrovia Clinic
09 Jul 2018

Dizziness is one of the most common reasons for people presenting to Accident and Emergency departments, and to see a GP. Fortunately it is rarely serious in nature. So where do we start in trying to treat dizziness? Like the song says “I’m so dizzy, my head is spinning.”

Where the song was talking about feelings of love, the difficulty in diagnosing the dizzy patient is that the word “dizzy” can be used to describe a variety of symptoms of various conditions.

• It may be that someone feels the room is spinning around them, or maybe a feeling that they are themselves spinning.
• Dizzy can also be used to describe a feeling of being light headed, to feeling off balance.
• As part of a headache or migraine.
• Or as a symptom of conditions such as Ménière’s disease or vertigo.
• It may be triggered by getting up from lying or sitting, turning over in bed, or just being in a busy place such as a shopping centre.

Symptoms can be in short spells lasting seconds, or last for hours, up to a constant feeling of dizziness. These are just some of the more common descriptions of a large variety of possible symptoms and causative factors.

Both young and old can experience dizziness symptoms and seeing a Physiotherapist trained in treating such conditions can help those suffering to improve their quality of life.