Balance and Dizziness Caused by Brain Injury

Balance and Dizziness Definition

The definition of balance and dizziness is the whirling sensation in the brain which gives you the tendency to fall. An equilibrium problem that makes it hard to keep your balance. Dizziness and balance problems are quite common when it comes to traumatic brain injury.

Examples or Survivors with Balance and Dizziness Symptoms

Our first example will come from the story or DJ in our TBI Voices Project. DJ suffered his traumatic brain injury while working on a boat repairing bridges in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the bridge a storm with hurricane strength winds came up and threw the boat around which resulted in DJ hitting his head several times on the bottom of the bridge. He didn’t immediately realize how hurt he was. The accident happened at approximately 4:00 P.M. and he did not lose consciousness until later that evening. He had a subarachnoid hemorrhage. He was in a coma for sixteen days.

One of the brain injury symptoms that continues to cause him trouble is balance and dizziness. In his own words remembering his rehabilitation time in the hospital;

“Just constantly tired. I’m very dizzy. I have ringing in the ears. Vision is getting, my up-close vision is very dizzy and objects coming at me.”

DJ did have a balance test done but not for some time after the accident. When asked if he had any balance testing done his response was;

“Only my current neurologist I would say. He’s had me stand up, hold my head up, you
know, straight, do it with my hands out and try to walk and I, I can’t even believe, I mean
this was only done in April. But I can’t walk toe after toe after toe.”

There isn’t a physical reason that DJ should have balance and dizziness symptoms so it has been determined that is a neurological issue. To read DJ’s entire story click here

Our next example of a survivor with balance and dizziness symptoms comes from the story of Elizabeth. Elizabeth suffered her traumatic brain injury while at work at a cheese factory. She slipped and hit her head on a piece of heavy machinery, another object and then on the concrete floor. The injury resulted in a coma. Three years later following her first brain injury she slipped and fell again. Again she hit her head. The second injury was considered mild however some of the symptoms from her initial brain injury that she had conquered seemingly came back and even worse. One of those symptoms was her balance and dizziness symptom. Elizabeth states; “The dizziness that I had under control at one time, the dizziness got worse. I had to see go through therapy again to help me to be able to sit up straight and not get dizzy and take my time standing up, and I know twisting too fast causes me issues. Things that I was able to deal with I had to pretty much try to learn all over again.”

Balance and dizziness is a real problem for those who have suffered a brain injury. The risk of suffering an additional brain injury becomes very high when balance problems can cause one to fall very easily.

To hear Elizabeth’s entire story click here

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Gordon Johnson

Attorney Gordon Johnson is one of the nations leading brain injury advocates. He is Past-Chair of the TBILG, a national group of more than 150 brain injury advocates. He has spoken at numerous brain injury seminars and is the author of some of the most read brain injury web pages on the internet.