The most common causes of imbalance without dizziness are related to dysfunction of the muscles, joints and peripheral nerves (proprioceptive system), or the central nervous system (brain). People with
Losing your balance while walking, or feeling imbalanced, can result from: Vestibular problems. Abnormalities in your inner ear can cause a sensation of a floating or heavy head and unsteadiness in the dark. Nerve damage to your legs (peripheral neuropathy).
What causes balance disorders? Causes of balance problems include medications, ear infection, a head injury, or anything else that affects the inner ear or brain. Low blood pressure can lead to dizziness when you stand up too quickly.
Neurological Conditions
Illnesses like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and cervical spondylosis slowly damage the way your nervous system talks to your brain, which can affect your balance. Physical therapy can help you manage the symptoms.
The ear is a sensory organ that picks up sound waves, allowing us to hear. It is also essential to our sense of balance: the organ of balance (the vestibular system) is found inside the inner ear.
Loss of balance is a symptom of both Ménière's disease and lupus. However, dizziness and spinning sensation (vertigo) that may cause loss of balance are hallmark signs of Ménière's disease while loss of balance is an uncommon symptom of lupus.
Falls, dizziness and balance problems are common MS symptoms. But there are a few things you can try to manage them. Read about physio, walking aids and treatments.
Diagnosing the underlying cause of imbalance is difficult because there are many potential causes. Your primary care physician may refer you to a neurologist, otolaryngologist, or neuro-otologist for further diagnosis. Tests that may be used to determine the cause of imbalance include: Audiometric (hearing) tests.
Your neurologist or movement disorder specialist will perform a history and physical examination of your eye movements, cranial nerves, speech, coordination, gait, and sensation. They may order imaging including MRIs or CT scans to determine a neurological cause of your balance symptoms.
While spacing out can simply be a sign that you are sleep deprived, stressed, or distracted, it can also be due to a transient ischemic attack, seizure, hypotension, hypoglycemia, migraine, transient global amnesia, fatigue, narcolepsy, or drug misuse.
However, chronic balance problems may indicate a serious medical condition. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can improve outcomes and, in some cases, may even save lives. See a doctor if a person experiences: dizziness so severe that they cannot safely walk or drive.
Imaging studies of the head including CT scan (Computed Tomography scan) or MRI scan (Magnetic resonance imaging scan) are performed to check for injuries and abnormalities in the brain and cerebellum part of the brain that controls balance and coordination.
Posturography, also known as computerized dynamic posturography (CDP). This test measures how well you can keep your balance while standing. It can help find out whether a balance disorder is caused by a problem with your inner ear, eyes, or nerve signals from your feet and legs.
Healthcare providers typically perform a Romberg test on all people who are having issues with balance, dizziness and falls to help determine if their balance issues are related to issues with proprioception. They also often include the test during physical neurological exams.
Those symptoms include loss of vision in an eye, loss of power in an arm or leg or a rising sense of numbness in the legs. Other common symptoms associated with MS include spasms, fatigue, depression, incontinence issues, sexual dysfunction, and walking difficulties.
Fatigue. Occurs in about 80% of people, can significantly interfere with the ability to function at home and work, and may be the most prominent symptom in a person who otherwise has minimal activity limitations.
Ménière disease is a disorder caused by build of fluid in the chambers in the inner ear. It causes symptoms such as vertigo, nausea, vomiting, loss of hearing, ringing in the ears, headache, loss of balance, and sweating.
Cerebellar degeneration is a disorder that affects nerves in the back of your brain. It can lead to balance issues or difficulty with speech and eyesight. Cerebellar degeneration can be the result of several health conditions like alcohol use disorder or cancer.
About vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis
Generally caused by a viral infection, these conditions cause vertigo (usually experienced as a spinning sensation), dizziness, imbalance, unsteadiness and sometimes problems with vision or hearing.
Depersonalization symptoms
Symptoms of depersonalization include: Feelings that you're an outside observer of your thoughts, feelings, your body or parts of your body — for example, as if you were floating in air above yourself. Feeling like a robot or that you're not in control of your speech or movements.
Dizziness has many possible causes, including inner ear disturbance, motion sickness and medication effects. Sometimes it's caused by an underlying health condition, such as poor circulation, infection or injury. The way dizziness makes you feel and your triggers provide clues for possible causes.