Dizziness

Question: In August 2007 I suffered a TBI when I fractured my skull after a fall. I spent 8 days in ICU and 11 in the hospital. I suffered from Frontal Lobe Syndrome and lost my sense of smell. I recently had an MRI and my Neurologist diagnosed me with Encephalomalacia.
I have gained a lot of weight since my accident and am getting out of the military. I recently started to take a Martial Art class to try and lose weight and get back into shape ( I am 42 years old, 5'9 and weigh 275 lbs.). During Martial Arts I notice myself getting dizzy when it comes to being on the ground and getting up quickly during the conditioning exercises. I am not sure if you can help, but can the dizziness improve with conditioning and getting into better shape or are the two situations (TBI and conditioning) separate?

Answer: Your dizziness could be the result of your TBI. Dizziness that is caused by getting up too quickly may indicate that your eyes are not understanding where your body is in space when you get up from the ground quickly. Have you noticed any visual problems since your TBI? I would suggest that the next time you see your neurologist that you mention to him that you are getting dizzy when you get up quickly from the floor. There are diagnostic tests that can be done to determine what the cause of your dizziness might be. These tests are VNG (video nystamogram) and ENG (electro nystagmogram) and they can determine your eye movements when you are re-positioning. Usually there are exercises that may help with this issue.

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Question: In 2013 12-13 October I suffered a severe case of what was deemed vertigo. Since then I have been suffering what could be considered a form of dizziness which has taken sometime to settle down. I still feel somewhat challenged in carrying out certain functions. It seems somewhat possible that some part of the brain may have been affected and from what I've read it could possibly be the symptoms are related to that part of the brain. I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.

Answer: Since you are still experiencing difficulties in performing tasks and your dizziness appears to still be problematic for you, I would suggest that you reach out to your primary care physician or a neurologist to determine if there might be something causing this dizziness, such as you suggested, a problem with the cerebellum. An issue with the inner ear, where our vestibular sense is located should also be ruled out. Then vestibular organ is within our inner ear and can cause issues with balance and the feeling of vertigo. An audiologist could check out the inner ears and a physical therapist would be able to determine if your vestibular sense is disrupted through a variety of tests that they can perform. 

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Question: I was rear-ended in an Auto Accident on 1/13/2017 and since then I have had constant ear ringing, severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, and tingling in my arms & legs. The pains are daily and the pains keep moving around my body. The headaches have gotten better but the dizziness and ear ringing is constant.

Answer: Have you had a vestibular evaluation for you dizziness? Often times, a physical therapist can do a vestibular evaluation and can potentially prescribe exercises that may help alleviate the dizziness. I would also suggest a vision evaluation as vision impairments are common following a brain injury and could also be a cause of the dizziness and headaches you are experiencing. A neurodevelopmental optometrist would be able to help you.