Most of the time, doctors ordering a CT scan or MRI of your temporal bone – the bone enclosing your inner ear – are looking for major structural abnormalities. Usually, they want to see the health of the bone, whether or not it is intact, and if there are any tumours on the balance and hearing nerve or on the structures at the back of your head. An acoustic neuroma, for example, is a benign tumour causing hearing loss and dizziness as it grows around the hearing and balance nerve. Acoustic neuromas show up on an MRI. Neither CT scans nor MRIs can, however, help diagnose most causes of dizziness and imbalance. Imaging cannot show if the tiny inner-ear balance sensors are working. In summary, the role of medical imaging is to rule out – or in – certain structural causes for balance and dizziness disorders.

Physiotherapists do not diagnose. Physiotherapists work with you based on how your imbalance or dizziness presents. Well-trained physiotherapists can make a working hypothesis of what is wrong and can help guide your medical doctor or specialist towards a diagnosis.

Vestibular audiologists do diagnostic vestibular testing. They can, for example, test to see if you have bilateral vestibular hypofunction or a bilateral vestibular disorder. Similar to how audiologists can say, “You have a sensory hearing loss,” vestibular audiologists can say, “You have a loss of balance function.” They will not label your disorder, but will say things like, “This balance sensor seems to be 50% functional” or “There is a dysfunction on this or that balance sensor.” This information will be passed on to your doctor to make a diagnosis.

Most of the time, doctors ordering a CT scan or MRI of your temporal bone – the bone enclosing your inner ear – are looking for major structural abnormalities. Usually, they want to see the health of the bone, whether or not it is intact, and if there are any tumours on the balance and hearing nerve or on the structures at the back of your head. An acoustic neuroma, for example, is a benign tumour causing hearing loss and dizziness as it grows around the hearing and balance nerve. Acoustic neuromas show up on an MRI.

Neither CT scans nor MRIs can, however, help diagnose most causes of dizziness and imbalance. Imaging cannot show if the tiny inner-ear balance sensors are working. In summary, the role of medical imaging is to rule out – or in – certain structural causes for balance and dizziness disorders.

Physiotherapists do not diagnose. Physiotherapists work with you based on how your imbalance or dizziness presents. Well-trained physiotherapists can make a working hypothesis of what is wrong and can help guide your medical doctor or specialist towards a diagnosis.

Vestibular audiologists do diagnostic vestibular testing. They can, for example, test to see if you have bilateral vestibular hypofunction or a bilateral vestibular disorder. Similar to how audiologists can say, “You have a sensory hearing loss,” vestibular audiologists can say, “You have a loss of balance function.” They will not label your disorder, but will say things like, “This balance sensor seems to be 50% functional” or “There is a dysfunction on this or that balance sensor.” This information will be passed on to your doctor to make a diagnosis.

Most of the time, doctors ordering a CT scan or MRI of your temporal bone – the bone enclosing your inner ear – are looking for major structural abnormalities. Usually, they want to see the health of the bone, whether or not it is intact, and if there are any tumours on the balance and hearing nerve or on the structures at the back of your head. An acoustic neuroma, for example, is a benign tumour causing hearing loss and dizziness as it grows around the hearing and balance nerve. Acoustic neuromas show up on an MRI.

Neither CT scans nor MRIs can, however, help diagnose most causes of dizziness and imbalance. Imaging cannot show if the tiny inner-ear balance sensors are working. In summary, the role of medical imaging is to rule out – or in – certain structural causes for balance and dizziness disorders.

Physiotherapists do not diagnose. Physiotherapists work with you based on how your imbalance or dizziness presents. Well-trained physiotherapists can make a working hypothesis of what is wrong and can help guide your medical doctor or specialist towards a diagnosis.

Vestibular audiologists do diagnostic vestibular testing. They can, for example, test to see if you have bilateral vestibular hypofunction or a bilateral vestibular disorder. Similar to how audiologists can say, “You have a sensory hearing loss,” vestibular audiologists can say, “You have a loss of balance function.” They will not label your disorder, but will say things like, “This balance sensor seems to be 50% functional” or “There is a dysfunction on this or that balance sensor.” This information will be passed on to your doctor to make a diagnosis.

Most of the time, doctors ordering a CT scan or MRI of your temporal bone – the bone enclosing your inner ear – are looking for major structural abnormalities. Usually, they want to see the health of the bone, whether or not it is intact, and if there are any tumours on the balance and hearing nerve or on the structures at the back of your head. An acoustic neuroma, for example, is a benign tumour causing hearing loss and dizziness as it grows around the hearing and balance nerve. Acoustic neuromas show up on an MRI.

Neither CT scans nor MRIs can, however, help diagnose most causes of dizziness and imbalance. Imaging cannot show if the tiny inner-ear balance sensors are working. In summary, the role of medical imaging is to rule out – or in – certain structural causes for balance and dizziness disorders.

When you first experience symptoms of dizziness and imbalance, it is most likely that you will visit an emergency physician or your family doctor. The primary role of an emergency physician is to rule out any serious or life-threatening causes for your symptoms, such as a stroke or heart attack. Your family doctor will look into general causes for your dizziness, such as low or high blood sugar, heart disease, neurological disorders and other metabolic issues as well as medication interactions that could be causing dizziness and imbalance. Read more about the role family doctors and emergency physicians play in assessing dizziness and imbalance on our Primary Care Physicians page.

If your symptoms persist, you will be referred to specialist health professionals who can dig deeper and start helping you manage, understand and treat your symptoms. These specialists include otolaryngologists (ENT doctors), otologists or neuro-otologists, neurologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, physiotherapists or occupational therapists, and vestibular audiologists. To help with mental health concerns related to your dizziness and balance disorder, you may be referred to a psychiatrist, psychologist or registered clinical counsellor. Read more about the role of each of these specialists on our Other Health Professionals page.

When you first experience symptoms of dizziness and imbalance, it is most likely that you will visit an emergency physician or your family doctor. The primary role of an emergency physician is to rule out any serious or life-threatening causes for your symptoms, such as a stroke or heart attack. Your family doctor will look into general causes for your dizziness, such as low or high blood sugar, heart disease, neurological disorders and other metabolic issues as well as medication interactions that could be causing dizziness and imbalance. Read more about the role family doctors and emergency physicians play in assessing dizziness and imbalance on our Primary Care Physicians page.

If your symptoms persist, you will be referred to specialist health professionals who can dig deeper and start helping you manage, understand and treat your symptoms. These specialists include otolaryngologists (ENT doctors), otologists or neuro-otologists, neurologists, neuro-ophthalmologists, physiotherapists or occupational therapists, and vestibular audiologists. To help with mental health concerns related to your dizziness and balance disorder, you may be referred to a psychiatrist, psychologist or registered clinical counsellor. Read more about the role of each of these specialists on our Other Health Professionals page.

Physiotherapists do not diagnose. Physiotherapists work with you based on how your imbalance or dizziness presents. Well-trained physiotherapists can make a working hypothesis of what is wrong and can help guide your medical doctor or specialist towards a diagnosis.

Vestibular audiologists do diagnostic vestibular testing. They can, for example, test to see if you have bilateral vestibular hypofunction or a bilateral vestibular disorder. Similar to how audiologists can say, “You have a sensory hearing loss,” vestibular audiologists can say, “You have a loss of balance function.” They will not label your disorder, but will say things like, “This balance sensor seems to be 50% functional” or “There is a dysfunction on this or that balance sensor.” This information will be passed on to your doctor to make a diagnosis.

Most of the time, doctors ordering a CT scan or MRI of your temporal bone – the bone enclosing your inner ear – are looking for major structural abnormalities. Usually, they want to see the health of the bone, whether or not it is intact, and if there are any tumours on the balance and hearing nerve or on the structures at the back of your head. An acoustic neuroma, for example, is a benign tumour causing hearing loss and dizziness as it grows around the hearing and balance nerve. Acoustic neuromas show up on an MRI.

Neither CT scans nor MRIs can, however, help diagnose most causes of dizziness and imbalance. Imaging cannot show if the tiny inner-ear balance sensors are working. In summary, the role of medical imaging is to rule out – or in – certain structural causes for balance and dizziness disorders.

Physiotherapists do not diagnose. Physiotherapists work with you based on how your imbalance or dizziness presents. Well-trained physiotherapists can make a working hypothesis of what is wrong and can help guide your medical doctor or specialist towards a diagnosis.

Vestibular audiologists do diagnostic vestibular testing. They can, for example, test to see if you have bilateral vestibular hypofunction or a bilateral vestibular disorder. Similar to how audiologists can say, “You have a sensory hearing loss,” vestibular audiologists can say, “You have a loss of balance function.” They will not label your disorder, but will say things like, “This balance sensor seems to be 50% functional” or “There is a dysfunction on this or that balance sensor.” This information will be passed on to your doctor to make a diagnosis.

Most of the time, doctors ordering a CT scan or MRI of your temporal bone – the bone enclosing your inner ear – are looking for major structural abnormalities. Usually, they want to see the health of the bone, whether or not it is intact, and if there are any tumours on the balance and hearing nerve or on the structures at the back of your head. An acoustic neuroma, for example, is a benign tumour causing hearing loss and dizziness as it grows around the hearing and balance nerve. Acoustic neuromas show up on an MRI.

Neither CT scans nor MRIs can, however, help diagnose most causes of dizziness and imbalance. Imaging cannot show if the tiny inner-ear balance sensors are working. In summary, the role of medical imaging is to rule out – or in – certain structural causes for balance and dizziness disorders.