Balance Tests

Balance tests are a group of tests that check for balance disorders. A balance disorder is a condition that makes you feel unsteady or dizzy. Dizziness means different things to different people.

It can include: Vertigo, a feeling that you or everything around you is spinning; Feeling as if you're going to fall; Feeling lightheaded or as if you are going to faint; Balance disorders can be mild or so severe that you may have trouble walking, climbing stairs, or doing other daily activities. They can happen at any age, but they are more common in older people. Balance disorders are one of the main reasons that older adults tend to have more falls than younger people.

Good balance depends on your brain receiving signals about your position and movement from your ears, eyes, and the muscles and touch sensors in your legs. These signals also help your eyes stay focused on objects when you change position. Problems with any of the signals that are part of your sense of balance can cause dizziness and other symptoms.

The part of your ears that controls your sense of balance is called the vestibular system or 'the labyrinth.' It is in your inner ear. It includes special organs filled with fluid and lined with sensors that have hair-like structures. When you move your head, the fluid in your inner ear moves the hair sensors.

This triggers them to send nerve signals to your brain about your head's position and which direction it's moving. Balance disorders may be caused by conditions in your inner ear, head injuries, or certain medicines and medical conditions that affect your inner ear or brain. Other conditions can also cause problems with balance, such as vision problems, heart disease, blood vessel disorders, migraine headaches, and arthritis.

Balance tests help find the cause of balance problems so that you can get the right treatment to improve your balance and avoid falls.

Why this test is done

You may need balance tests if you have symptoms of a balance disorder. Symptoms include:

• Dizziness
• Vertigo (a spinning feeling)
• Falling or feeling as if you are going to fall
• Staggering when you walk
• Feeling lightheaded, like you are going to faint, or a floating sensation
• Blurred vision
• Confusion

Other symptoms may include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, and anxiety.

If you're age 65 or older, your health care provider may use simple screening tests to check your balance even if you don't have symptoms. This helps check your risk for falls so you can make changes to reduce your risk if needed.

How to prepare

Your provider will let you know how to prepare for your tests. It's best to wear loose, comfortable clothes. Depending on the test, you may need to avoid certain foods or medicines before your test.

But don't stop taking any medicine without talking with your provider first.

Other names for this test

vestibular balance testing, vestibular testing