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An axiom repeated in health care is that they eyes are unable to see what the mind does not yet know. As diagnosticians trained to evaluate functional capacity, identify the impairments that produce functional limitations, and synthesize knowledge of pathophysiology and psychosocial context, physical therapists enjoy opportunities to function as clinicians uniquely valuable to their patients. The more information that a therapist possesses about a disease state or movement disorder, the better-informed will be their patient examinations, the more readily will they identify the subtle abnormalities that become persuasive constellations, and the greater will become their capacity to help their patients.

Physical therapists practicing on hospital units or in emergency departments must be prepared to do more than simply treat vestibular disorders diagnosed by other providers; we need to help care teams identify the source of a dizzy patient's complaints. Because the consequences of delayed or erroneous diagnosis may be catastrophic for the dizzy patient, the evaluating therapist's responsibility is to minimize the likelihood of inaccuracy in the diagnostic process. Practice standards, which involve both examination techniques and reasoning frameworks, are not widely used. Therapists who apply these standards can reduce diagnostic error. Understanding the strategies described within is essential for therapists who evaluate acutely dizzy patients and contribute diagnostic information to care teams.

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