Feeling giddy - should you be worried?

WE often take good balance for granted. Dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance are extremely common problems which can severely affect a person's quality of life, making it hard to work and function. In the elderly, dizziness is associated with an increased risk of falls.

Dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance can mean different things to different people. Dizziness (or giddiness) is a sensation of lightheadedness or unsteadiness while vertigo is more of a spinning sensation with the perception of movement, either of oneself or surrounding objects. Imbalance usually describes unsteadiness or feeling like falling over.

Our bodies maintain balance by receiving sensory information from three systems: