Dr. Chung
The Anatomy of Vertigo
The Anatomy of a Headache The Anatomy of a Pinched Nerve Let's talk about vertigo. Technically a diagnosis of vertigo should be confined to a sensation of spinning or rotation in the absence of movement. However, for purposes of this conversation we will discuss the wide range of vestibular disorders that are often described as dizziness or vertigo. When people say they are feeling dizzy it usually means that they have a feeling of being in motion without actually being in motion. It could be the feeling of swaying like a boat, feeling drunk or woozy, feeling a sense of fogginess, or even just really light headed. It's not unusual for people to feel these sensations periodically after having too much to drink or after a wild ride on a roller coaster. However, if you have these sensations chronically without a precipitating event, then you likely have chronic vestibular dysfunction. Chronic vestibular dysfunction is challenging to diagnose and treat. It can be a secondary effect of a different diseases like multiple sclerosis or it can be a primary vestibular disorder like positional vertigo. Either way, these conditions can be related to the following pieces of anatomy: