Dizziness practicing spins

My coach introduced me to one-foot spins this week. I did about 10 or so in practice. Plus, before this I'd been doing 3 or 4 2-foot spins each practice (about twice a week lately). Mind you, I'm just starting out on spinning - 3 revolutions is about my max. My last practice was Wed.

I'd heard that one gets used to the feeling of dizziness after the spin - just keep practicing.

However, yesterday I woke up and couldn't walk straight - kept leaning to left & falling over! No balance, felt dizzy. Went away after 15 minutes, but still felt a little dizzy for the next few hours.

Went to doctor, thinking my ever-troublesome sinuses & 6-yr old son's cold had engendered some kind of ear infection in me. But, no ear infection. A hearing test confirmed everything OK there too (phew, I'm a musician!)

Doctor says I should go to get a balance test. I tell him, hah, how bad could my balance be - I go skating regularly & I'm not falling down! Only upon leaving the office with the appointment for the test do I suddently think, hm, could spinning have something to do with this? Being 2 days later, I didn't even think of it, and besides, I really practice spinning very little, I think.

Can anyone share if they've had similar past experiences?

I really hope that dizzy spell you had was your last one! Give the balance test a try, then you'll know for sure whether it was the problem or not.

I'm sure there is some kind of science to getting dizzy. Maybe someone will know why you were leaning to the left - it could correspond to the direction you spin in. Although, I've never heard of a spin making someone dizzy two days later.

I've been skating for 15 years and I don't notice the dizziness from spinning hardly at all, but when I first started I remember it affecting me for quite a few years. I know I still get dizzy and everything is still spinning around me after I complete a spin, but I don't feel the dizziness. Your body will become accustomed to the feeling of being dizzy to a point where doesn't affect you. I think you unconsciously learn ways of reducing the feeling.

The best trick I've been taught to stop feeling dizzy is to stand at the boards (so you have something to hold on to) and put one hand fairly close to your face. Now focus your eyes on one spot on your hand and hold your focus until the dizziness goes away. I've found this the quickest way to stop my head from spinning.

I've recently been learning to spin in my opposite direction. Now that makes me extremely dizzy! It has never been a really troublesome problem, however, my friend not only gets dizzy but nauseous also, she can't practice more than 3 or 4 spins in the opposite direction or she'll be running to the bathroom! Everytime you learn a new spin in which your head is in a different position (laybacks were the most dizzying spin for me) you'll have to become accustomed to the new dizziness. Every new way your head rotates is another way you'll feel dizzy - what fun!:\

~Cassie

Well I never heard of anyone staying dizzy after doing some skating spins two days later, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. Maybe all the spinning could have done something to the ear especially if you have some fluid stuck in there. I do know how sinuses can cause all sorts of problems.

I've been spinning for a long time and I still get dizzy once the spins end:\

How often do you fall? I ask this because I have discovered that falling will throw my back out faster than anything. And I fall regularly. I thought that I would bust my spine right through the top of my head while learning the flip I was landing so hard. I got used to it finally, but also ended up going to the chiropractor regularly. I had been having some back pain and some dizziness as well. He said that my whole ribcage was tilted and a bit rotated. When I told him the direction that I jump, and subsequently fall, he said that it made sense. After a fw adjustments, I was feeling better. I know that does not address the dizziness with spinning. I still have not gotten used to the dizziness on the ice. Off the ice, I go to the chiropractor if that starts to happen.

I know that there are people that may read this that do not condone chiropractors. It works for me.

While I sometimes get dizzy when spinning on ice, it doesn't last for more than a few seconds, and doesn't reoccur when I'm off-ice. I do sometimes feel dizzy if my sinuses are doing their thing, but that's it. The only other time I felt dizzy was when I went on a boat cruise - a three hour tour - and was fine on the boat, getting off the boat, but felt dizzy later that night in bed and when I'd get up to go to the bathroom in the night. So I suppose it's possible that the dizziness was realted to the spins, but the balance test sounds like a very good idea.

I've had the balance test, pretty weird stuff! They blow hot air into your ears, which makes you dizzy...you watch funny patterns which move & make you dizzy...a bunch of strange stuff!

Surprisingly I only got dizzy from hot air in ONE ear, not both. Technician said "that sometimes happens" but would not elaborate.

I get the report on my test from the doctor next week. I still think it's my sinuses, somehow. Haven't had anything more than normal dizziness from practicing spins. Now I think I overreacted...but, it WAS pretty scary when I couldn't even walk upright for 15 minutes.

Someone asked about falling - I've fallen 5 times in past year, skating 3-4 times a week; I would call that "not much". I don't think that was a factor.