Balance disorders
Balance disorders refer to various conditions that affect an individual's ability to maintain stability and orientation, often described by patients as dizziness or vertigo. These disorders typically arise from issues within the inner ear, which plays a crucial role in balance through a complex system involving the brain, vision, and proprioception. Common symptoms include light-headedness, unsteadiness while walking, nausea, and in some cases, tinnitus, which is characterized by ringing or buzzing sounds in the ears. Various factors can contribute to balance disorders, including age-related changes, viral infections, and motion sickness, leading to confusion in sensory signals.
The duration of these disorders can be temporary or chronic, and their impact may include increased risk of falls or accidents. Treatment options often involve antibiotics for infections and neurological assessments, while some patients may benefit from vestibular rehabilitation therapy aimed at improving balance and coordination. Given the potential underlying causes, including serious neurological conditions, seeking medical guidance is essential for appropriate management and care. Understanding balance disorders is important for recognizing their implications on daily activities and overall quality of life.
Subject Terms
Balance disorders
ANATOMY OR SYSTEM AFFECTED: Nervous system
DEFINITION: Problems with balance that may be described by sufferers as dizziness or vertigo and usually are associated with the inner ear; balance disorders may result in falls and other accidents.
CAUSES: Age-related changes, viral infection in inner ear, motion sickness
SYMPTOMS: Light-headedness, unsteadiness, imbalance in walking, vertigo, nausea, tinnitus
DURATION: Temporary or chronic
TREATMENTS: Antibiotics, neurological assessment
Causes and Symptoms
Being able to stand upright and walk with a steady gait is the result of a complex of body systems. For example, sight and hearing provide information about an individual’s location and movement, and proprioceptors in muscles and joints help evaluate the individual’s position in the environment. Age affects many of these systems, and age-related changes often impair the sense of balance.
Balance disorders include light-headedness, unsteadiness, or imbalance in walking. Such disorders also include vertigo, the feeling that a person’s surroundings are moving or spinning around or that the person is spinning. Vertigo is sometimes accompanied by nausea. Because the ears often are involved, dizziness or may also be accompanied by tinnitus, a hissing, buzzing, or ringing sound in one or both ears.
Balance disorders often involve the labyrinth, a membrane-lined inner-ear chamber filled with fluid. The consists of three canals, each at right angles to the other two. Any head movement—shaking, nodding, or tilting—is sensed by the canals, and the information is transmitted to the brain. Sometimes the labyrinth becomes inflamed, often from a viral infection, thus interfering with the signals relating to movement. Interference also occurs in motion sickness, in which the eyes see one kind of movement while the body, via the labyrinth, senses another kind of movement. The result is a confusion of signals and, often, the familiar sensations of dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
Other causes of balance problems include neural dysfunctions and restrictions on the supply of blood to the brain. Light-headedness, for example, may be the result of changes in the flow of blood to the brain; if the flow is diminished, the result often is a “graying out,” or darkening of vision. In extreme cases, the sufferer faints.
A balance disorder such as unsteadiness in walking may be the result of a in the cerebellum, the back part of the brain. If the condition persists or worsens, it may be a symptom of a serious neurological disorder. Also, as part of the process, fine hairs in the inner ear may be reduced in number or size and thus function imperfectly. This frequently results in balance dysfunctions. Ear pain, nasal congestion, or discharge from the ears may result from middle-ear disorders and accompanying balance problems. Other causes include some medications, poor sleep habits, and vision problems.
Treatment and Therapy
Balance disorders may be symptomatic of serious physical problems and are best dealt with by a physician. If a balance problem is occasional and of short duration, relief may be gained simply by lying down for a brief while in a darkened room. Some individuals may benefit from treatments such as vestibular rehabilitation therapy, which may include stretching and strengthening and balance retraining.
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