Vertigo and dizziness glossary is a 50-term patient reference for symptoms, inner-ear anatomy, vestibular diseases, diagnostic tests and BPPV treatments. It is built as a hub-and-spoke glossary: short definitions here, deeper pages for terms that patients commonly search, and canonical links where a full guide already exists.
Use this page when a report, prescription, VNG result or doctor note uses a word you do not understand. This glossary supports patient education; it does not replace examination, especially when dizziness is sudden, severe, recurrent or linked with weakness, double vision, slurred speech, fainting, chest pain or new hearing loss.
Glossary sections
Symptoms and sensations
- Vertigo: false sensation of spinning or movement.
- Dizziness: broad patient word for woozy, off-balance, faint or spinning feelings.
- Lightheadedness: feeling faint or close to blackout.
- Disequilibrium: unsteadiness or imbalance while standing or walking.
- Oscillopsia: bouncing or jumping vision during movement.
- Tinnitus: ringing, buzzing, roaring or hissing sound in the ear.
- Aural fullness: blocked or pressure-like ear feeling.
- Drop attacks: sudden falls without loss of consciousness.
- Brain fog with dizziness: mental fatigue and poor concentration with dizziness.
- Motion sickness: nausea and dizziness triggered by travel or visual motion.
Anatomy of the ear and balance system
- Vestibular system: the balance system that tracks head motion and position.
- Inner ear labyrinth: deep ear structure containing hearing and balance organs.
- Semicircular canals: three rotation-sensing balance canals.
- Otolith organs: utricle and saccule sensors for gravity and linear motion.
- Otoconia: tiny calcium crystals linked with BPPV.
- Vestibular nerve: nerve carrying balance signals to the brain.
- Endolymph: inner-ear fluid inside the membranous labyrinth.
- Perilymph: fluid around parts of the inner-ear labyrinth.
- Cochlea: hearing organ of the inner ear.
Conditions and diseases
- BPPV: common positional vertigo from displaced ear crystals.
- Vestibular neuritis: vestibular nerve inflammation causing prolonged vertigo.
- Labyrinthitis: inner-ear inflammation with vertigo and hearing symptoms.
- Meniere disease: vertigo attacks with hearing fluctuation, tinnitus and fullness.
- Vestibular migraine: migraine biology causing dizziness or vertigo.
- PPPD: persistent postural-perceptual dizziness.
- MdDS: rocking or swaying after travel.
- SSCD: sound or pressure triggered dizziness from canal dehiscence.
- Acoustic neuroma: vestibular schwannoma on the hearing-balance nerve.
- Cervicogenic dizziness: dizziness linked with neck pain or neck movement.
- Orthostatic hypotension: blood pressure drop on standing.
- Peripheral vertigo: vertigo from inner ear or vestibular nerve.
- Central vertigo: vertigo from brain or central nervous system causes.
- Bilateral vestibular hypofunction: reduced balance function on both sides.
Diagnostic tests and signs
- Nystagmus: involuntary eye movement used as a vestibular clue.
- Dix-Hallpike test: posterior canal BPPV diagnostic test.
- Supine roll test: horizontal canal BPPV diagnostic test.
- HINTS exam: bedside exam for acute vertigo red-flag sorting.
- VNG: video eye-movement balance testing.
- ENG: older electrode-based eye-movement test.
- vHIT: video head impulse test for fast vestibular reflexes.
- Caloric testing: warm/cool stimulation test for vestibular weakness.
- VEMP test: otolith organ reflex pathway test.
- Audiogram: hearing test used in vertigo workup.
- Romberg test: bedside balance screening test.
Treatments and maneuvers
- Canalith repositioning procedure: maneuver family for BPPV crystals.
- Epley maneuver: posterior canal BPPV maneuver.
- Semont maneuver: fast-motion BPPV maneuver.
- BBQ roll maneuver: horizontal canal BPPV maneuver.
- Brandt-Daroff exercises: repeated side-lying exercises for selected positional dizziness.
- Vestibular rehabilitation therapy: balance retraining therapy for vestibular disorders.
- Vestibular suppressants: short-term vertigo medicines with safety cautions.
Regional language glossary
This glossary is also available in major Indian languages so patients can read the same vestibular terms in the language they understand best.
- Hindi glossary and Hindi dizziness terms
- Bengali glossary and Bengali dizziness terms
- Tamil glossary and Tamil dizziness terms
- Telugu glossary and Telugu dizziness terms
- Marathi glossary and Marathi dizziness terms
Reviewed for patient education: Dr. Prateek Porwal, ENT and Vertigo Specialist, Prime ENT Center, Hardoi.
This glossary is for education only. It cannot diagnose the cause of dizziness without history, examination and appropriate testing.