GMA:Chronic Dizziness Affects 20 Million Americans

N E W   Y O R K, May 4 -- Riding a roller coaster or taking a boat ride is fun for most people; but for more than 20 million Americans, such activities would be a little slice of hell.

Chronic dizziness tortures people with inner ear disorders.

"Vestibular disorders," the medical term for these types of conditions, can cause people to feel unsteady even when they are simply walking around. Symptoms can range from mild dizziness that lasts minutes, to severe disorientation that results in total disability for long periods.

The vestibular system — the tiny inner workings of the ear — literally tells the brain where the body is, providing what is called spatial orientation. If your inner ear goes haywire, it's like trying to keep your balance in an earthquake.

Vestibular disorders often cause headaches and muscular aches in the neck and back, along with a heightened sensitivity to noise and bright lights.

The term "dizziness" covers a number of different physical feelings, including vertigo (a sensation of spinning when you are not moving), presyncope (which makes people feel as if they'll faint without losing consciousness), disequilibrium (a loss of balance or a feeling of unsteadiness), and lightheadedness (feeling as if the inside of the head is actually spinning).

Although dizziness affects millions of Americans, it is completely incapacitating in only 5 percent of cases, according to the Mayo Clinic's statistics.

Shaky Ride

Roy Hoffman has suffered from chronic dizziness for years. For him, a simple walk down the street often feels like an amusement park ride. He says his first dizzy spell left him feeling like he was trapped in a cartoon.

"The room started moving," Hoffman told ABCNEWS' Dr. Nancy Snyderman. "The room actually was moving in circles. Everything you read about or see in cartoons, I saw."

Snyderman says doctors are beginning to use cutting edge technology to diagnose and treat inner ear problems.The surgeon says she would have trouble doing all kinds of activities without a strong vestibular system.