Feeling unsteady or like you’re about to fall could be due to a balance disorder. If you experience persistent or repeated balance problems, visit Boston Pain Clinic in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, for an expert evaluation. The practice’s highly skilled team can diagnose your symptoms and deliver the most effective treatments. To benefit from first-class balance disorder care, call Boston Pain Clinic or request an appointment online today.
Balance disorders affect the ability to stand and walk without feeling unsteady or being unstable.
Balancing requires input from several of the body’s systems, including:
You could develop a balance disorder if one or more of these systems is faulty.
In addition to stability issues, you might get vertigo, where you feel like the room is spinning around you. Other symptoms include dizziness, lightheadedness, and syncope (fainting). These difficulties can make you feel confused and/or nauseated.
Anyone could develop a balance disorder, but they’re most common in later life. This is because of age-related deterioration in the body’s balance systems and progressive musculoskeletal weakening.
Balance problems have various causes, from injuries to neurological diseases. Some of the more common conditions causing balance issues include:
BPPV is a common cause of dizziness and unsteadiness caused by loose crystals in the inner ear.
Labyrinthitis is inflammation of part of your inner ear called the labyrinth. It can cause persistent vertigo and lead to long-term balance problems without treatment.
Ménière’s disease (idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops) affects your balance and hearing. Its cause is unclear.
Vestibular neuritis is another inner ear disorder caused by viral infections. Symptoms include sudden, severe vertigo, balance problems, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
MS is an autoimmune disorder affecting nerve function that most often progresses over the years.
Low blood pressure and conditions that disrupt blood flow to your brain, such as carotid artery disease, can sometimes cause balance disorder symptoms. Other causes include traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), strokes, and Parkinson’s disease.
Treating a balance disorder successfully requires an accurate diagnosis. For example, antibiotics can treat an ear infection causing labyrinthitis, while patients with BPPV require a specialized kind of physical therapy called canalith repositioning.
You might need medications like anticholinergics or dopamine agonists to treat a balance disorder. These drugs affect chemical messengers called neurotransmitters in your brain. Anti-vertigo and anti-nausea medicines can help manage your symptoms.
Balance-training exercises can assist patients with incurable disorders like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
To find out how to benefit from expert balance disorder treatment at Boston Pain Clinic, call the office or request an appointment online today.