At a glance
  • Brief positional spinning can fit benign inner-ear conditions, but not every dizziness episode is the same.
  • Hearing loss, severe headache, weakness, double vision or inability to walk suggests a broader assessment is needed.
  • The word “dizzy” can mean spinning, faintness or imbalance, so describing the sensation clearly helps diagnosis.

Why this deserves attention

Vertigo describes a spinning or movement sensation and can arise from the inner ear, migraine or neurological disease. Accompanying symptoms change the urgency.

The same symptom can have several causes. Useful clues include how quickly it changed, how severe it is, what comes with it, personal risk factors and whether it is clearly different from your normal baseline.

What to observe

Note duration, triggers such as rolling in bed, hearing symptoms, headache, nausea, ability to walk and whether there is faintness rather than spinning.

Write down when symptoms happen, how long they last, triggers, changes in normal function and medicines or supplements already taken. A short record often makes a consultation more useful.

Sensible next steps

A GP, ENT or neurological assessment can distinguish common vestibular causes from cardiovascular or neurological problems.

Medical assessment and where TCM fits

Treatment depends on cause and may include repositioning manoeuvres, vestibular rehabilitation, migraine management or treatment of another condition.

TCM or acupuncture may be discussed only after red flags are excluded; it should not delay stroke assessment in sudden severe vertigo with neurological signs.

TCM and conventional care can sometimes complement each other, but acute red flags, conditions needing imaging or blood tests, and diseases with established evidence-based treatment require diagnosis and safety to come first.

When not to wait

Sudden vertigo with new weakness, facial droop, speech trouble, double vision, severe headache, chest pain, fainting or inability to stand needs urgent assessment.

Related reading & Singapore resources

Important

This page provides general health education, not an individual diagnosis or emergency plan. Sudden, severe, worsening or red-flag symptoms should be assessed through appropriate conventional medical or emergency care.