Our brains, eyes and ears work together to give us a sense of balance. Dizziness, vertigo and imbalance can be signs of a vestibular (inner ear) or neurological disorder. At OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute (OSF INI), our providers are experts at diagnosing and treating conditions affecting balance.

Led by a neurologist, our team includes an advanced practice nurse and audiologists who are experts at finding the cause of these issues.

Feeling off balance, dizzy or lightheaded can be difficult to describe. Your appointment will begin with a conversation. Your provider will listen as you describe your symptoms and when they are most severe. You may be asked to perform a balance assessment, during which your provider will watch you walk and perform other movements. You may also receive a neurological or vestibular exam. At the end of your initial appointment, your provider will discuss their findings with you, including a potential diagnosis or need for further testing.

At OSF INI, we offer a unique approach to treating balance issues. Led by one of only three physicians in the state who specialize in vestibular neurology, our providers also collaborate with specialists in neurosurgery, neuroradiology, internal medicine and neuropathy. We also have an experienced rehabilitation team .

The conditions we treat include:

• Persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD)
• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
• Meniere’s disease
• Stroke
• Vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI)
• Ataxia
• Nystagmus
• Oscillopsia
• Vestibular migraine
• Vestibular neuritis
• Superior canal dehiscence and other third window syndromes
• Degenerative disorders with ophthalmoplegia
• Bilateral vestibular loss
• Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
• Cochleovestibular loss syndromes
• Labyrinthitis