You’ve done the rounds. Blood tests, maybe a scan, a check of your ears and heart. Everything comes back “normal”, and yet you’re still dizzy. It’s frustrating, and it can leave you wondering if it’s all in your head.
It isn’t. “Your tests are normal” is not the same as “nothing is wrong.” It usually means the standard tests didn’t look at the thing that’s actually causing it.
Why do tests come back normal?
Most routine tests are designed to rule out serious disease: infection, anaemia, heart problems, a stroke. Those are important to exclude, and it’s genuinely good news when they’re clear. But the common causes of everyday dizziness are mechanical, and they don’t show up on those tests at all.
What do standard tests usually miss?
- BPPV, loose inner-ear crystals, which only show up on a specific positional test, not a scan or blood test.
- Cervicogenic dizziness, driven by the neck, which no blood test will reveal.
- An under-calibrated balance system after an old infection or injury, which needs a movement-based assessment.
These are exactly the things a physiotherapist trained in dizziness looks for as part of a vestibular rehabilitation assessment, using balance, eye-movement and neck tests rather than lab work.
So where does that leave you?
In a much better place than it feels. If the serious causes have been ruled out, what’s usually left is a mechanical problem, and mechanical problems tend to respond well to treatment. The missing step is an assessment aimed at how your balance system is actually working.
What does that assessment look like?
A physiotherapist will watch how your eyes move, test specific head and body positions, check your neck, and look at your balance under different conditions. That’s how the causes hiding behind “normal” results get found, and once found, they can be treated.
Frequently asked questions
Does normal bloodwork mean my dizziness isn’t real?
Not at all. It means the serious medical causes are unlikely. The dizziness is real and usually has a mechanical cause that bloodwork can’t detect.
What kind of professional should I see?
A physiotherapist trained in vestibular and neurofunctional assessment is well placed to find mechanical causes. Serious or unusual symptoms should always be reviewed by a doctor first.
Can chronic dizziness be fixed after months?
Often yes. Even long-standing dizziness frequently improves once the actual cause is identified and treated.
If you’ve been told everything is normal but you still feel off, the next step is an assessment that looks at your balance system directly. You can book a session here.
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Marcos Jusdado is a physiotherapist and osteopath at Kinesis Clinic, Vida Emirates Hills, in the heart of Dubai. With 9 years of experience and over 12,000 sessions, he specialises in sport physiotherapy, functional neurology (P-DTR), vestibular rehabilitation and chronic pain, working with everyone from busy professionals to competitive athletes. His approach focuses on finding the root cause of pain rather than just treating the symptoms, helping his patient to achieve long-lasting results.
