Balance

Diagnostic balance services in the greater Seattle area.

Dizziness and Balance Disorders

An estimated 90 million Americans will experience dizziness at least once in their lifetime. The causes of peripheral and central vestibular disorders includes the following: age-related multisensory deficits, strokes and vascular insufficiencies, cerebellar degeneration, chemical and drug toxicities, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, uncompensated Meniere’s disease, vestibular neuritis, labyrinthitis, and head trauma. Balance disorders are significant risk factors for falls in individuals 65 years and older.

At Evergreen Speech and Hearing Clinic, we offer diagnostic balance and vestibular testing to identify the cause of your dizziness, so we can help you find the right solution.

Symptoms Associated with Dizziness

Dizziness is not the only symptom patients face with balance problems. A variety of symptoms can present themselves, including:

Vestibular Testing

Evergreen Speech and Hearing Clinic offers the latest in diagnostic vestibular testing. The purpose is to determine if the inner ear balance organs are functioning properly. We offer the following testing for balance disorders:

This series of tests measures eye movements via electrodes placed around the eyes. ENG tests usually consist of four parts: evaluation of rapid eye movements, tracking tests to measure eye movements as they follow a visual target, positional test for measuring dizziness in response to different head positions, and a caloric test that measures responses to warm and cold water circulating through a tube in the ear canal. Most people reporting dizziness or vertigo will be given ENG tests initially.

Similar to ENG testing, this involves the use of an infrared video camera attached to a pair of goggles in place of electrodes. The same four-part testing process is still used.

VEMP testing is used to determine whether the saccule (an inner ear organ) and vestibular nerves are functioning properly. Electrodes are attached to the neck and sounds are transmitted through a pair of headphones. The electrical response of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the neck is recorded.

vHIT is a clinical test of each semicircular canal of the inner ear. Ultra-light weight goggles embedded with a camera capable of assessing high rates of eye movements are placed on your head. Your audiologist will perform several head movements and collect data to determine the status of your vestibular system.

Rotary chair is a clinical test of the vestibular ocular reflex (VOR). The chair gently moves from side to side at a calibrated frequency. This test collects information on vestibular function and is the gold standard for detecting bilateral vestibular loss.

These tests may be combined with additional hearing tests depending on the results.

Locations

Bellevue Clinic

Kirkland Clinic

Redmond Clinic

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