Dizziness and balance problems can occur after a concussion.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists dizziness and balance problems among possible symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury and concussion. Headache, nausea, vision problems, fatigue, light or noise sensitivity, trouble thinking, mood changes, and sleep changes can also occur.
Symptoms differ from person to person. Some appear at once, while others may take hours or days to become clear. The pattern can also change during recovery.
Describe the feeling instead of relying on the word dizziness.
Dizziness can mean spinning, faintness, rocking, blurred vision, or trouble staying steady. Those are not the same experience. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders notes that balance symptoms can involve the inner ear, brain, blood pressure, medicines, injury, or other factors.
Write down what the feeling is like, when it starts, how long it lasts, and what makes it better or worse. Note whether it happens at rest, with head movement, when standing, in a busy visual setting, or during a task that needs concentration.
Other symptoms can help an evaluation.
Record hearing change, ringing, headache, nausea, vision change, falls, fainting, weakness, numbness, speech trouble, sleep change, and trouble with memory or attention. Also note how the problem affects walking, driving, work, reading, screens, or exercise.
Bring a full medicine and supplement list and the date and details of the injury. This record does not confirm a cause. It helps a qualified clinician review the whole pattern.
Symptoms that persist or change deserve medical assessment.
CDC notes that concussion symptoms may be hard to sort out because they can resemble other health problems. A person may also miss how much the symptoms affect daily tasks.
Tell a health care provider if symptoms continue, worsen, or interfere with daily life. An online article cannot decide whether the cause comes from the injury, the balance system, a medicine, or another condition.
Know the adult danger signs after a head injury.
CDC tells adults to seek emergency care for a worsening headache that does not go away, repeated vomiting, seizure, weakness, numbness, reduced coordination, slurred speech, unusual behavior, growing confusion, one pupil larger than the other, or loss of consciousness with marked drowsiness or trouble waking.
Call 911 or go to an emergency department for those signs. A routine office message is not the right next step.
Use the first call to ask which kind of evaluation fits.
Gates Brain Health is a functional neurology practice in Reno. Dr. Randall Gates, D.C., DACNB, is a board-certified chiropractic neurologist, not a medical doctor or a conventional medical neurologist. Care there does not replace emergency care, primary care, or medical specialists.
If you want to ask whether an evaluation may fit, call (775) 507-2000. Keep medical details for the phone call or visit rather than sending them through a general web message.