What causes loss of balance and unsteadiness while walking?

What causes loss of balance and unsteadiness while walking?

Loss of balance or unsteadiness. 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 a person to have balance problems?

When the inner ear becomes infected and inflamed, the result can be balance problems. Labyrinthitis is an inner ear infection often linked to a case of the flu. 4. Chronic Conditions Certain chronic conditions can result in balance problems, too. If you have eye problems, for example, you may find it more difficult to keep your balance.

What causes a person to have difficulty walking?

Musculoskeletal walking difficulty causes Walking difficulty may be the result of musculoskeletal abnormalities or ailments. Mechanical: Problems in alignment and orientation of the parts of the leg such as the hips, the knee, and the ankle can result in gait abnormalities.

What causes uncontrollable walking in the legs?

Medically reviewed by William Morrison, MD, specialty in Orthopedic Surgery, on August 15, 2017 — Written by April Kahn. Walking abnormalities are abnormal, uncontrollable walking patterns. Genetics may cause them or other factors, such as diseases or injuries. Walking abnormalities can affect the muscles, bones, or nerves of the legs.

Loss of balance or unsteadiness. 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).

When do the symptoms of loss of balance go away?

The good news is the symptoms usually disappear in about two weeks and rarely reappear. Your veterinarian can treat the underlying cause or symptoms of the loss of balance, but it is still important to schedule a follow-up appointment after the treatment.

What causes a person to lose their balance?

As with humans, balance is a vital skill that develops early in life, and can be affected by inner ear problems, fever, malnutrition, dehydration and injury. Discovering the cause for loss of balance is the first step in treating it, if possible.

What causes your legs to throw you off balance?

Nerve damage. Peripheral neuropathy, a result of damage to the nerves that send information from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body, can also throw off balance, especially if the damage is done to the legs.