4 Causes of Balance Problems
Do you feel unstable when you stand or move? Do you feel more clumsy, running into things more often? These and other symptoms can be frustrating, affecting both your confidence and quality of life.
While everyone gets unsteady at times, persistent balance problems may be the sign of something more serious that needs to be addressed.
In addition, when you feel unsteady much of the time, it can increase both your risk of falling – and the fear of it. Balance problems can be complex to diagnose, and there may be several factors involved, but these causes fall into four major categories.
1. Aging
As we age, we experience several aging deficits, including the loss of balance, agility and flexibility, which can make us feel less steady overall. In addition, if you have other age-related issues, such as a decline in your vision or hearing, this can affect your balance.
2. Inner ear disorders
Our sense of balance is created by a number of different body systems that work together, including our joints, muscles, eyes, brain – and the inner ear. The delicate structures deep in our ears provide information that tells the brain how our head is oriented. When this system is disrupted through an infection, head injury or even aging, it can cause balance disorders such as vertigo, labyrinthitis and Ménière’s disease.
3. Other medical conditions
In some cases, balance problems may be due to a neurological condition such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke or peripheral neuropathy (weakness, numbness or pain in your extremities, such as your hands or feet). If so, you may benefit from specialized neurorehabilitation therapy.
Heart disease and diabetes, which can cause symptoms such as weakness or dizziness, can also affect your balance.
4. Medications
Certain medications can cause balance problems, either by affecting the inner ear directly or by causing side effects such as lightheadedness or drowsiness. In some cases, the effects on balance are caused by taking several medications together.
If you’re concerned about your balance issues and fall risk, you may want to start by reviewing our fall prevention tips , to help increase your safety and confidence.
In addition, you may want to consider balance training with a physical therapist. In our balance training program, we identify your specific challenges and fall risks, and develop a personalized treatment plan with gait training and balance strategies, and educate you in other ways to help ensure better fall prevention – including showing you specific exercises you can do on your own to stay active while minimizing your fall risk.
