Care for Balance Problems

If you’re feeling off balance (disequilibrium) it may be caused by vestibular problems, failing vision or nerve damage in the legs, which is common in older adults. Muscle weakness and osteoarthritis in your hips, knees and ankles also can contribute to loss of balance. Sometimes loss of balance can be a side effect from certain medications, such as seizure drugs, sedatives and tranquilizers.

It is important to get help as soon as possible. Most balance disorders can be treated effectively before they reach the point of disability.

Diagnosis

We offer several tests to diagnose balance problems. Our experienced staff uses state-of-the-art equipment for all of these tests: 

Treatment

Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network’s Balance and Vestibular Program can quickly diagnose the cause of your balance problems so you can begin treatment immediately and return to a better quality of life.

About 20 percent of dizziness problems in general and 50 percent in older people are caused by debris that collects in the inner ear. When you change positions, like getting out of bed or a chair, you get dizzy. This is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

You also may not have a balance problem at all. One of the symptoms of a balance problem is frequent falls. Falls aren’t always caused by an inner ear or nervous system problem. Sometimes they are caused by weakness in the legs. Our doctors are neurologists, but they don’t automatically assume your problem is a nervous system problem. They look for other reasons too.

Possible causes are:

• Vision or hearing loss
• Inner ear (vestibular) dysfunction
• Degenerative diseases of the brain or nervous system
• Blocked artery in the brain
• Infection

In addition to diagnosing and treating the underlying cause of your balance problem, this complete program includes:

• Exercises and therapies to prevent disability and restore mobility
• Education about the cause of your balance disorder
• Suggestions for how you can prevent falls at home
• Research into innovative approaches, such as microvascular decompression, to treatment of dizziness and vertigo caused by a wide array of disorders

ARTICLE TOOLS: