MakatiMed highlights three reasons you may lose your balance, including riding a rollercoaster, drinking too much, or sailing over rough seas. This temporary loss of balance can leave you staggering and unable to regain your steadiness, highlighting the importance of seeing a doctor immediately.

A loss of balance and accompanying symptoms can also result from a medical issue. “Your ability to sit, stand, and walk without falling or swaying from side to side involves more than your muscles and bones,” says Franco Louie L.B. Abes, MD, of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of the top hospital in the Philippines, Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed). “These actions also involve your eyes, inner ear, nerves, heart, brain, muscles, and blood vessels. Once one of these key organs doesn’t function as it should, it can impact your balance.”

According to MakatiMed, health-related balance problems can stem from one of three sources:

  • The vestibular system “is usually related to the inner ear. Certain medications, ear infections, calcium crystals that move to the wrong side of the inner ear, too much fluid in the inner ear (Meniere’s disease), or a benign tumor in the ear (acoustic neuroma) can affect your balance,” says Dr. Abes. “Common symptoms to look out for are dizziness, vertigo, unsteadiness, blurred vision, and even falling.”
  • The vascular system “controls the flow of blood to the brain. Poor circulation, standing up or sitting down too quickly (orthostatic hypotension), and stroke can manifest in the form of dizziness, lightheadedness, and the feeling of fainting,” Dr. Abes explains.
  • The nervous system, “which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and other nerves, can also cause your imbalance issues,” Dr. Abes points out. “Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cervical spondylosis, multiple sclerosis, as well as the presence of an infarct or a concussion are conditions that can result in a loss of balance.”

A thorough clinical examination and further diagnostic tests aid a physician in getting to the bottom of your balance problem. “You should likely see an otolaryngologist, who specializes in diseases and disorders of the ear, nose, neck, and throat,” says Dr. Abes. “If your loss of balance is due to dislodged crystals in your inner ear, then the doctor may do the Epley maneuver, which moves the calcium crystals back into their proper place. Steroids and vestibular rehabilitation therapy can address an inner ear infection and Meniere’s disease.”

Proper vestibular evaluation and imaging tests of your head and brain are recommended if initial examinations and treatments do not resolve the problem.

“The point is not to delay a consultation,” advises Dr. Abes. “An unsteady gait doesn’t just interfere with your daily activities. It could lead to more problems like falls that could result in fractures or head trauma. By addressing your loss of balance issue early, you save yourself from complications that could be more detrimental to your health.”

For more information, please get in touch with MakatiMed On-Call at +632.88888 999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph. Follow @IamMakatiMed on Facebook and Twitter.