For information about Hearing and Balance disorders or to refer a patient for evaluation and/or treatment contact our office at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: 214-648-3071 or Texas Relay:  dial 711.

Balance (vestibular) disorders encompass such things as dizziness, vertigo, disequalibrium or a general sense of being unsteady on your feet. Over 25 million Americans are affected by balance disturbances. Frequently, persons affected already suffer from tinnitis and hearing loss. These disturbances can reduce the quality of life and interfere with work and social interactions regardless of age. The menu below will help you explore the many topics related to balance.

With the general decrease in balance that accompanies the aging process, it is essential that dizziness or balance problems are not solely attributed to the normal consequences of aging until the patient undergoes a thorough evaluation.  Frequently, a specific cause can be identified and successfully treated, and in those cases where a specific cause remains elusive, vestibular rehabilitation often provides significant benefit.

Balance, or the sensation of equilibrium, is regulated by the peripheral vestibular system and the cerebellum, with complex input from the visual and proprioceptive systems.  Thorough evaluation and treatment requires close interaction between related medical specialties and access to sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.  Coordination of biomedical specialists in our department's basic science laboratories and the availability of comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic modalities at UT Southwestern make our Hearing, Balance and Facial Nerve Disorders division unique to this part of the country.