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.

Vestibular audiologists report on the results of hearing, balance and vestibular function tests. If you had a VEMP test, they may say, “Your utricle and saccule are within normal range.” Or, they may say, “Your water test was normal or abnormal.” Ask for a written report of hearing tests as well as diagnostic tests of the balance sensors in your inner ear. Get an understanding of what these reports mean by reading our Diagnostic Tests for Balance and Dizziness Disorders.

There are many causes for dizziness and balance disorders, including life-threatening conditions. The CT and MRI scans you had were to rule out more serious causes for vertigo. They are not meant to find out exactly what is happening. When the scans come back clear, your primary care physician may try medications that are available and see what happens.

However, the vestibular/balance system is very complex and sometimes the cause is neither sinister nor straight forward. An example is Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD).

In less straight-forward cases, specialized professionals and/or diagnostic testing may be needed to lead you to understanding what is causing your dizziness and to implement appropriate management strategies.

The road to diagnosis and management of a dizziness and balance disorder is often a journey and we understand that it can be confusing and frustrating.

You have expressed the feelings of many people affected by dizziness! It is not always easy to find support in your community; you end up seeing quite a few professionals and they are not always on the same page as to your diagnosis and treatment plan. You may be left with uncertainty about what you can expect in the future. Without getting into too much detail about your diagnosis and treatment (you can read more about BPPV here) you are encouraged to do the following:

1) Get informed (learning more about BPPV is a start) and then clarify with your healthcare professionals what their treatment plan is. Ask as many questions as you need. Read some more if you need to. Here is a list of recommended books.

2) Once you feel you have a direction to follow for treatment, stick with it for a set amount of time. Six weeks is a reasonable time frame. During this time, try your very best to stick with the treatment plan and to stay positive.

3) Use the online resources of our Society and your local sources of support. Since you mentioned that there are no specific dizziness support groups, how about you try your community for balance exercises, for example? You can also look for tai chi classes and classes designed for falls prevention. You will most likely find others dealing with similar issues.

4) At the end of your “trial” with this plan, reassess your symptoms and your goals. You may find that you were on the right track, or you may need to start on number one all over again and try a different treatment plan.

Keep in mind that, even if you need to go back and follow a different course of action, that is okay. It will not be forever. Give yourself again about six weeks time and reassess. Stay in the present moment as much as you can, focusing on what you can effectively do right then and there.

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.

Complex vestibular disorders are challenging to treat. For example, it can be very difficult to tease out the symptoms that distinguish Ménière’s disease or migrainous vertigo; they have very similar symptoms, but are treated very differently.

More complex cases are very individual and cannot always be pigeon-holed as Ménière’s or migrainous vertigo or some other particular disorder link i en blogg. Patients may have some but not all of the characteristics of Ménière’s disease, for example, and that is frustrating for doctors.

Complex vestibular disorders are challenging to treat. For example, it can be very difficult to tease out the symptoms that distinguish Ménière’s disease or migrainous vertigo; they have very similar symptoms, but are treated very differently.

More complex cases are very individual and cannot always be pigeon-holed as Ménière’s or migrainous vertigo or some other particular disorder link i en blogg. Patients may have some but not all of the characteristics of Ménière’s disease, for example, and that is frustrating for doctors.

The balance system is complex and in fact involves 3 major sensory input systems, all controlled by the brain. The inner ear sensors for balance, eyes and the proprioceptors on the body all send information to the brain. Balance centres receive, analyze and integrate these bits of information and then send orders to the body to readjust according to the movement done in the first place.

When you are dizzy with computer use, it usually means that the balance system is relying more heavily on the visual input. It is not fully reassured by the inner ear sensors telling them you are not moving. For more information, read our Motion and Cyber Sickness article.

Having the weights on you or changing your posture as you walk is increasing the cues coming from the proprioceptive system to the brain. This additional input seems to help you balance.

I would recommend you to have your inner ear sensors tested. It might be that they are working just fine but your centres in the brain are not using their information properly or it might be that your brain is in need of all this additional information (visual and proprioception) because your inner ear sensors are dysfunctional.

There are many causes for dizziness and balance disorders, including life-threatening conditions. The CT and MRI scans you had were to rule out more serious causes for vertigo. They are not meant to find out exactly what is happening. When the scans come back clear, your primary care physician may try medications that are available and see what happens.

However, the vestibular/balance system is very complex and sometimes the cause is neither sinister nor straight forward. An example is Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD).

In less straight-forward cases, specialized professionals and/or diagnostic testing may be needed to lead you to understanding what is causing your dizziness and to implement appropriate management strategies.

The road to diagnosis and management of a dizziness and balance disorder is often a journey and we understand that it can be confusing and frustrating.

The balance system is complex and in fact involves 3 major sensory input systems, all controlled by the brain. The inner ear sensors for balance, eyes and the proprioceptors on the body all send information to the brain. Balance centres receive, analyze and integrate these bits of information and then send orders to the body to readjust according to the movement done in the first place.

When you are dizzy with computer use, it usually means that the balance system is relying more heavily on the visual input. It is not fully reassured by the inner ear sensors telling them you are not moving. For more information, read our Motion and Cyber Sickness article.

Having the weights on you or changing your posture as you walk is increasing the cues coming from the proprioceptive system to the brain. This additional input seems to help you balance.

I would recommend you to have your inner ear sensors tested. It might be that they are working just fine but your centres in the brain are not using their information properly or it might be that your brain is in need of all this additional information (visual and proprioception) because your inner ear sensors are dysfunctional.

You have expressed the feelings of many people affected by dizziness! It is not always easy to find support in your community; you end up seeing quite a few professionals and they are not always on the same page as to your diagnosis and treatment plan. You may be left with uncertainty about what you can expect in the future. Without getting into too much detail about your diagnosis and treatment (you can read more about BPPV here) you are encouraged to do the following:

1) Get informed (learning more about BPPV is a start) and then clarify with your healthcare professionals what their treatment plan is. Ask as many questions as you need. Read some more if you need to. Here is a list of recommended books.

2) Once you feel you have a direction to follow for treatment, stick with it for a set amount of time. Six weeks is a reasonable time frame. During this time, try your very best to stick with the treatment plan and to stay positive.

3) Use the online resources of our Society and your local sources of support. Since you mentioned that there are no specific dizziness support groups, how about you try your community for balance exercises, for example? You can also look for tai chi classes and classes designed for falls prevention. You will most likely find others dealing with similar issues.

4) At the end of your “trial” with this plan, reassess your symptoms and your goals. You may find that you were on the right track, or you may need to start on number one all over again and try a different treatment plan.

Keep in mind that, even if you need to go back and follow a different course of action, that is okay. It will not be forever. Give yourself again about six weeks time and reassess. Stay in the present moment as much as you can, focusing on what you can effectively do right then and there.

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.

The balance system is complex and involves the brain analyzing and interpreting information from three major systems: the inner ear sensors for balance (vestibular system), the visual system, and the sensation that goes from the skin, muscles and joints (proprioceptive system).

Any sensation of dizziness and imbalance may result when one or more of these four parts are not functioning well. Therefore, the perceived asymmetries you experience may stem from the vestibular organs, from the proprioceptive system and/or from the brain’s processing of the their information. You did not mention visual issues, but treating these symptoms often involve also addressing the processing of visual information, with and without head movements.

You may wish to pursue assessments to clarify whether you do have asymmetries in your balance system, namely a vestibular assessment (for the inner ear sensors and their connections with eyes and brain) and a physiotherapy assessment, for the proprioceptive and musculo-skeletal systems. Proper treatment/rehabilitation can then be tailored to your needs. 

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.

Vestibular audiologists report on the results of hearing, balance and vestibular function tests. If you had a VEMP test, they may say, “Your utricle and saccule are within normal range.” Or, they may say, “Your water test was normal or abnormal.” Ask for a written report of hearing tests as well as diagnostic tests of the balance sensors in your inner ear. Get an understanding of what these reports mean by reading our Diagnostic Tests for Balance and Dizziness Disorders.

There are many causes for dizziness and balance disorders, including life-threatening conditions. The CT and MRI scans you had were to rule out more serious causes for vertigo. They are not meant to find out exactly what is happening. When the scans come back clear, your primary care physician may try medications that are available and see what happens.

However, the vestibular/balance system is very complex and sometimes the cause is neither sinister nor straight forward. An example is Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD).

In less straight-forward cases, specialized professionals and/or diagnostic testing may be needed to lead you to understanding what is causing your dizziness and to implement appropriate management strategies.

The road to diagnosis and management of a dizziness and balance disorder is often a journey and we understand that it can be confusing and frustrating.

Complex vestibular disorders are challenging to treat. For example, it can be very difficult to tease out the symptoms that distinguish Ménière’s disease or migrainous vertigo; they have very similar symptoms, but are treated very differently.

More complex cases are very individual and cannot always be pigeon-holed as Ménière’s or migrainous vertigo or some other particular disorder link i en blogg. Patients may have some but not all of the characteristics of Ménière’s disease, for example, and that is frustrating for doctors.

You have expressed the feelings of many people affected by dizziness! It is not always easy to find support in your community; you end up seeing quite a few professionals and they are not always on the same page as to your diagnosis and treatment plan. You may be left with uncertainty about what you can expect in the future. Without getting into too much detail about your diagnosis and treatment (you can read more about BPPV here) you are encouraged to do the following:

1) Get informed (learning more about BPPV is a start) and then clarify with your healthcare professionals what their treatment plan is. Ask as many questions as you need. Read some more if you need to. Here is a list of recommended books.

2) Once you feel you have a direction to follow for treatment, stick with it for a set amount of time. Six weeks is a reasonable time frame. During this time, try your very best to stick with the treatment plan and to stay positive.

3) Use the online resources of our Society and your local sources of support. Since you mentioned that there are no specific dizziness support groups, how about you try your community for balance exercises, for example? You can also look for tai chi classes and classes designed for falls prevention. You will most likely find others dealing with similar issues.

4) At the end of your “trial” with this plan, reassess your symptoms and your goals. You may find that you were on the right track, or you may need to start on number one all over again and try a different treatment plan.

Keep in mind that, even if you need to go back and follow a different course of action, that is okay. It will not be forever. Give yourself again about six weeks time and reassess. Stay in the present moment as much as you can, focusing on what you can effectively do right then and there.

The balance system is complex and involves the brain analyzing and interpreting information from three major systems: the inner ear sensors for balance (vestibular system), the visual system, and the sensation that goes from the skin, muscles and joints (proprioceptive system).

Any sensation of dizziness and imbalance may result when one or more of these four parts are not functioning well. Therefore, the perceived asymmetries you experience may stem from the vestibular organs, from the proprioceptive system and/or from the brain’s processing of the their information. You did not mention visual issues, but treating these symptoms often involve also addressing the processing of visual information, with and without head movements.

You may wish to pursue assessments to clarify whether you do have asymmetries in your balance system, namely a vestibular assessment (for the inner ear sensors and their connections with eyes and brain) and a physiotherapy assessment, for the proprioceptive and musculo-skeletal systems. Proper treatment/rehabilitation can then be tailored to your needs. 

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.

You have expressed the feelings of many people affected by dizziness! It is not always easy to find support in your community; you end up seeing quite a few professionals and they are not always on the same page as to your diagnosis and treatment plan. You may be left with uncertainty about what you can expect in the future. Without getting into too much detail about your diagnosis and treatment (you can read more about BPPV here) you are encouraged to do the following:

1) Get informed (learning more about BPPV is a start) and then clarify with your healthcare professionals what their treatment plan is. Ask as many questions as you need. Read some more if you need to. Here is a list of recommended books.

2) Once you feel you have a direction to follow for treatment, stick with it for a set amount of time. Six weeks is a reasonable time frame. During this time, try your very best to stick with the treatment plan and to stay positive.

3) Use the online resources of our Society and your local sources of support. Since you mentioned that there are no specific dizziness support groups, how about you try your community for balance exercises, for example? You can also look for tai chi classes and classes designed for falls prevention. You will most likely find others dealing with similar issues.

4) At the end of your “trial” with this plan, reassess your symptoms and your goals. You may find that you were on the right track, or you may need to start on number one all over again and try a different treatment plan.

Keep in mind that, even if you need to go back and follow a different course of action, that is okay. It will not be forever. Give yourself again about six weeks time and reassess. Stay in the present moment as much as you can, focusing on what you can effectively do right then and there.

Unfortunately the wait lists for vestibular testing in the public system are indeed very long.

Some of the hospital services in Canada have an urgent or expedited testing policy; whether this is your case or not will be determined by your referring physician at the time of your consult. You may also be able to get an early appointment if you can be available on short notice and ask to be put on a cancellation list.

However, there are a few private facilities in Canada that currently offer formal vestibular assessment. To find them, use our online Practitioners List – limit your search to audiologists.

The balance system is complex and involves the brain analyzing and interpreting information from three major systems: the inner ear sensors for balance (vestibular system), the visual system, and the sensation that goes from the skin, muscles and joints (proprioceptive system).

Any sensation of dizziness and imbalance may result when one or more of these four parts are not functioning well. Therefore, the perceived asymmetries you experience may stem from the vestibular organs, from the proprioceptive system and/or from the brain’s processing of the their information. You did not mention visual issues, but treating these symptoms often involve also addressing the processing of visual information, with and without head movements.

You may wish to pursue assessments to clarify whether you do have asymmetries in your balance system, namely a vestibular assessment (for the inner ear sensors and their connections with eyes and brain) and a physiotherapy assessment, for the proprioceptive and musculo-skeletal systems. Proper treatment/rehabilitation can then be tailored to your needs. 

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.

Vestibular audiologists report on the results of hearing, balance and vestibular function tests. If you had a VEMP test, they may say, “Your utricle and saccule are within normal range.” Or, they may say, “Your water test was normal or abnormal.” Ask for a written report of hearing tests as well as diagnostic tests of the balance sensors in your inner ear. Get an understanding of what these reports mean by reading our Diagnostic Tests for Balance and Dizziness Disorders.

There are many causes for dizziness and balance disorders, including life-threatening conditions. The CT and MRI scans you had were to rule out more serious causes for vertigo. They are not meant to find out exactly what is happening. When the scans come back clear, your primary care physician may try medications that are available and see what happens.

However, the vestibular/balance system is very complex and sometimes the cause is neither sinister nor straight forward. An example is Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD).

In less straight-forward cases, specialized professionals and/or diagnostic testing may be needed to lead you to understanding what is causing your dizziness and to implement appropriate management strategies.

The road to diagnosis and management of a dizziness and balance disorder is often a journey and we understand that it can be confusing and frustrating.

Complex vestibular disorders are challenging to treat. For example, it can be very difficult to tease out the symptoms that distinguish Ménière’s disease or migrainous vertigo; they have very similar symptoms, but are treated very differently.

More complex cases are very individual and cannot always be pigeon-holed as Ménière’s or migrainous vertigo or some other particular disorder link i en blogg. Patients may have some but not all of the characteristics of Ménière’s disease, for example, and that is frustrating for doctors.

The balance system is complex and in fact involves 3 major sensory input systems, all controlled by the brain. The inner ear sensors for balance, eyes and the proprioceptors on the body all send information to the brain. Balance centres receive, analyze and integrate these bits of information and then send orders to the body to readjust according to the movement done in the first place.

When you are dizzy with computer use, it usually means that the balance system is relying more heavily on the visual input. It is not fully reassured by the inner ear sensors telling them you are not moving. For more information, read our Motion and Cyber Sickness article.

Having the weights on you or changing your posture as you walk is increasing the cues coming from the proprioceptive system to the brain. This additional input seems to help you balance.

I would recommend you to have your inner ear sensors tested. It might be that they are working just fine but your centres in the brain are not using their information properly or it might be that your brain is in need of all this additional information (visual and proprioception) because your inner ear sensors are dysfunctional.

The balance system is complex and involves the brain analyzing and interpreting information from three major systems: the inner ear sensors for balance (vestibular system), the visual system, and the sensation that goes from the skin, muscles and joints (proprioceptive system).

Any sensation of dizziness and imbalance may result when one or more of these four parts are not functioning well. Therefore, the perceived asymmetries you experience may stem from the vestibular organs, from the proprioceptive system and/or from the brain’s processing of the their information. You did not mention visual issues, but treating these symptoms often involve also addressing the processing of visual information, with and without head movements.

You may wish to pursue assessments to clarify whether you do have asymmetries in your balance system, namely a vestibular assessment (for the inner ear sensors and their connections with eyes and brain) and a physiotherapy assessment, for the proprioceptive and musculo-skeletal systems. Proper treatment/rehabilitation can then be tailored to your needs. 

The balance system is complex and in fact involves 3 major sensory input systems, all controlled by the brain. The inner ear sensors for balance, eyes and the proprioceptors on the body all send information to the brain. Balance centres receive, analyze and integrate these bits of information and then send orders to the body to readjust according to the movement done in the first place.

When you are dizzy with computer use, it usually means that the balance system is relying more heavily on the visual input. It is not fully reassured by the inner ear sensors telling them you are not moving. For more information, read our Motion and Cyber Sickness article.

Having the weights on you or changing your posture as you walk is increasing the cues coming from the proprioceptive system to the brain. This additional input seems to help you balance.

I would recommend you to have your inner ear sensors tested. It might be that they are working just fine but your centres in the brain are not using their information properly or it might be that your brain is in need of all this additional information (visual and proprioception) because your inner ear sensors are dysfunctional.

The balance system is complex and in fact involves 3 major sensory input systems, all controlled by the brain. The inner ear sensors for balance, eyes and the proprioceptors on the body all send information to the brain. Balance centres receive, analyze and integrate these bits of information and then send orders to the body to readjust according to the movement done in the first place.

When you are dizzy with computer use, it usually means that the balance system is relying more heavily on the visual input. It is not fully reassured by the inner ear sensors telling them you are not moving. For more information, read our Motion and Cyber Sickness article.

Having the weights on you or changing your posture as you walk is increasing the cues coming from the proprioceptive system to the brain. This additional input seems to help you balance.

I would recommend you to have your inner ear sensors tested. It might be that they are working just fine but your centres in the brain are not using their information properly or it might be that your brain is in need of all this additional information (visual and proprioception) because your inner ear sensors are dysfunctional.