Diseases that stop you from walking often involve the nervous system or muscles, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which paralyzes muscles; Parkinson's Disease, causing stiffness and balance issues; Muscular Dystrophy, leading to progressive muscle weakness; Multiple Sclerosis (MS), disrupting nerve signals; or conditions like Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which causes rapid paralysis, and Friedreich's Ataxia, affecting coordination. Stroke, spinal issues, and severe arthritis can also impact walking ability.
Eventually, in people with ALS, the brain loses its ability to start and control voluntary movements such as walking, talking, chewing and other functions, as well as breathing. ALS is progressive, meaning symptoms get worse over time.
Injuries, such as fractures (broken bones), sprains, and tendinitis. Movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. Neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis and peripheral nerve disorders. Vision problems.
Several conditions can cause a sudden inability to walk. The most serious are those affecting the brain or spinal cord, such as strokes or head injuries and spinal cord injuries that cause paralysis. These conditions require immediate medical evaluation, as early diagnosis leads to the best treatment outcomes.
Problems with the joints, (such as arthritis), bones (such as deformities), circulation (such as peripheral vascular disease), or even pain can make it difficult to walk properly. Diseases or injuries to the nerves, muscles, brain, spinal cord, or inner ear can affect normal walking.
Early signs of ALS often involve painless muscle weakness, such as tripping or dropping things, along with muscle twitching (fasciculations), cramping, and stiffness (spasticity), commonly starting in limbs but sometimes affecting speech (slurring) or swallowing (choking). Other early indicators include significant fatigue, poor balance, or even uncontrollable laughing/crying (pseudobulbar affect). These symptoms usually begin subtly in one area and spread, affecting daily activities before becoming severe.
Progressive supranuclear palsy.
This is a rare nervous system condition that causes problems with walking, balance and eye movements. It may resemble Parkinson's disease but is a distinct condition.
💡 Quick Summary
Weakness in the legs can be caused by many different conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or called Lou Gehrig's disease), bulging/herniated (slipped) disc, Cauda equina syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, peripheral neuropathy, pinched ...
If you notice a delay in other milestones, your child shows no interest in trying to pull themselves up or cruise along the furniture at the 12-18 month mark, or your child still isn't walking after two years of age, then it's always a good idea to get them assessed.
Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia are common movement disorders.
A trio of conditions often linked to balance problems
The frontal lobe controls movement such as walking and is part of your personality. A tumour in the frontal lobe may cause: difficulty walking. problems with your sight and speech.
Three key warning signs of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often involve vision problems (like blurred vision or pain with eye movement), numbness or tingling sensations, and fatigue, along with balance issues, weakness, and coordination difficulties, though symptoms vary widely and can include cognitive or bladder problems too.
Some people with MS have more trouble with walking when they try to do other things at the same time. Other MS symptoms can have a large impact on walking too. If your vision is blurred or double, or you have altered depth perception, you might find it difficult to place your feet accurately or judge steps and kerbs.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a serious health problem that occurs when the body's defense (immune) system mistakenly attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. This leads to nerve inflammation that causes muscle weakness or paralysis and other symptoms.
Early signs of ALS often involve painless muscle weakness, such as tripping or dropping things, along with muscle twitching (fasciculations), cramping, and stiffness (spasticity), commonly starting in limbs but sometimes affecting speech (slurring) or swallowing (choking). Other early indicators include significant fatigue, poor balance, or even uncontrollable laughing/crying (pseudobulbar affect). These symptoms usually begin subtly in one area and spread, affecting daily activities before becoming severe.
In more than half of people with myasthenia gravis, the first symptoms involve eye muscles, such as:
PSP is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease, especially early in the disorder. The two disorders share many symptoms; however, PSP progresses more rapidly than Parkinson's.
Degenerative nerve diseases include:
These include head injury, stroke, brain hemorrhage, infections, and other problems. Some conditions can cause ataxia to appear gradually. These include hypothyroidism, alcohol abuse, low levels of some vitamins, and other problems.
Functional limb weakness is when a leg or an arm does not work properly. In FND, this happens because of a problem with how the nervous system is functioning. It can cause a range of symptoms, including: problems walking.
Explanation. Difficulty walking straight may indicate a problem in the brain's control centers. This includes issues with the basal ganglia, which control movement patterns, and the cerebellum, which coordinates balance and precise movements.