I Have Vertigo and Have Been Told I Just Have to Live With It. Is That True?

Have you been passed from specialist to specialist, only to hear the same frustrating words: "Everything looks normal. You just have to live with it."

You've done the MRI. The CT scan. The blood work. Maybe even the VNG test. And they all came back normal.

But you're still dizzy. Still unsteady. Still afraid to drive, bend over, or turn your head too quickly.

Here's what you need to know: Just because your tests came back normal doesn't mean you have to live with vertigo. Not even close.

Here's the thing about MRIs, CT scans, and blood tests—they're excellent at finding structural problems. Tumors. Strokes. Lesions. Serious stuff that needs to be ruled out.

But they're terrible at showing how your vestibular system is actually functioning.

Think about it this way: if you went to a doctor because your knee hurt, an X-ray might show that the bones look fine. But it wouldn't show whether your knee can bend properly, whether the muscles around it are weak, or whether you can squat without pain.

The same is true for your vestibular system.

An MRI can't show:

• Whether your inner ear is sending accurate signals to your brain

• How well your eyes and balance system are working together

• If your brain is compensating poorly for a vestibular issue

• Whether certain head movements trigger incorrect responses

• If you have positional vertigo that only shows up during specific movements

These are functional problems—and they require a functional assessment.

We see this all the time. Patients come to us after months—sometimes years—of being told there's nothing wrong.

They've been to the ENT. The neurologist. The "balance doctor." They've tried medications that made them foggy or didn't help at all.

And along the way, they've lost so much:

• Confidence in their body

• The ability to work, exercise, or enjoy hobbies

• Trust that anyone will believe them

• Hope that things can get better

You might feel like you're going crazy. Like maybe it is all in your head.

Your symptoms are real. And just because something doesn't show up on a scan doesn't mean it's not happening.

A comprehensive vestibular evaluation is completely different from the tests you've already had. We're not looking at pictures of your brain—we're watching how your balance system performs.

During an in-depth vestibular assessment, we evaluate:

• Positional testing: How your body responds to specific head and body positions

• Eye movement patterns: Whether your eyes can track smoothly and stabilize your vision during head movements

• Balance and gait: How steady you are on different surfaces and in different conditions

• Coordination between systems: How well your inner ear, eyes, and body are communicating

• Functional limitations: What specific activities trigger your symptoms and why

We're looking for the things that imaging can't see—the dysfunction behind your dizziness.

And here's what research shows: vestibular rehabilitation therapy is highly effective at reducing vertigo and dizziness, even when imaging is normal. Studies consistently demonstrate significant improvements in dizziness severity, quality of life, and daily functioning through targeted vestibular therapy[1][2][3].

Vestibular rehab isn't about masking symptoms with medication. It's about retraining your brain and balance system to work correctly again.

Through customized exercises and hands-on treatment, we help your nervous system compensate, adapt, and heal. We address the root cause of your dizziness—not just the symptoms.

The result?

• Reduced dizziness and vertigo episodes

• Improved balance and confidence with movement

• Less anxiety around triggering activities

• Better quality of life and return to normal activities

Research backs this up. Multiple peer-reviewed studies show that vestibular rehabilitation leads to clinically meaningful improvements in dizziness, balance, and daily function—even in patients with long-standing symptoms and normal imaging results[1][2][5].

If you've been told to just live with your vertigo, please hear this: that's not your only option.

You deserve answers. You deserve to understand what's really going on. And you deserve treatment that actually helps.

Don't stop advocating for yourself. Don't accept that this is just how life is now.

Because the truth is, it can get better.

We've helped countless patients who were told the exact same thing—that their tests were normal, that there was nothing more to be done, that they'd just have to cope.

And we've watched them get their lives back.

If you're tired of being dizzy, tired of being dismissed, and ready for real answers—we're here.

We offer comprehensive vestibular evaluations that look at what your other tests missed. And we create personalized treatment plans designed to get you back to feeling steady, confident, and in control.

You don't have to live with vertigo. Call us today to schedule your evaluation and start your journey back to balance.

[1] Frontiers in Neurology. "Efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation and its facilitating and limiting factors in patients with peripheral vestibular disorders." 2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1329418/full
[2] Journal of Physical Therapy Science. "Effectiveness of a Vestibular Rehabilitation Protocol to Improve the Health-Related Quality of Life and Postural Balance in Patients with Vertigo." 2015. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4490916/
[3] Frontiers in Neurology. "Evaluating the efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation therapy on quality of life in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness." 2025. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1524324/full
[4] JAMA Network Open. "Emergency Department Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy for Acute Vertigo." 2024. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830236
[5] StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. "Vestibular Rehabilitation." 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572153/