Balance Disorders

What is balance?

Balance is our physical sense of where we are in our environment. A complicated set of structures in our inner ears works with our eyes and our arms and legs to tell us whether we are up or down, moving or still.

What is dizziness?

"Dizziness” is a general term that describes a number of symptoms such as lightheadedness, giddiness or a feeling of uncertainty about the environment.

What is vertigo?

Vertigo is a specific kind of dizziness, which causes people to feel they are moving or the environment is moving around them. Vertigo is typically caused by diseases or disorders of the vestibular system — the inner ear and/or central nervous system pathways that help us maintain balance and orientation in our surroundings.

UHN Resources

UHN Brochures or Pamphlets

•	Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
•	Information for Patients with Inner Ear Disorders
•	Meniere's Disease

UHN Clinics or Centres

•	Balance - Neural & Sensory Science
•	Centre for Advanced Hearing and Balance Testing
•	Hearing and Balance Laboratories
•	Neuro-Otology Clinic (TGH)
•	Neuro-Otology Clinic (TWH)

Related Web sites

•	American Academy of Otolaryngology
	Learn more about balance, dizziness, and motion sickness.
•	Ask NOAH about: the Ear and Hearing/Balance Disorders
	A list with information and resources about the disorders, complications and related concerns, as well as care and treatment.