The connection between the Vestibular System[1], balance, and fall prevention
THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE-it is for your information only.
Balance
What is a balance disorder?
Estimates state that approximately ninety-million Americans, or 42% of the population in our country will have an episode of dizziness at least one time in their lives. Citizens over seventy, with a balance issue, have a greater chance of a fall than those without the dizziness experience.
A balance disorder is a condition that makes you feel unsteady or dizzy. If you are standing, sitting, or lying down, you might feel as if you are moving, spinning, or floating. If you are walking, you might suddenly feel as if you are tipping over.
Everyone has a dizzy spell now and then, but the term “dizziness” can mean different things to different people. For one person, dizziness might mean a fleeting feeling of faintness, while for another it could be an intense sensation of spinning (vertigo) that lasts a long time.
About 15 percent of American adults (33 million) had a balance or dizziness problem in 2008. Balance disorders can be caused by certain health conditions, medications, or a problem in the inner ear or the brain. A balance disorder can profoundly affect daily activities and cause psychological and emotional hardship.
The Vestibular System in the body is responsible for maintaining balance, posture, and the body’s orientation in space. This system also regulates locomotion and other movements and keeps objects in visual focus as the body moves. If this is disturbed, then so is your ability to keep your balance. A loss of balance can greatly affect a person’s quality of life.
There are physical treatment options for vestibular rehabilitation, one of which is exercise based. A trained physical therapist may be able to help you.
Some sources state that those suffering from vestibular inner ear problems show the following symptoms:
Balance
If you have a balance disorder, your symptoms might include:
- Dizziness or vertigo (a spinning sensation).
- Falling or feeling as if you are going to fall.
- Staggering when you try to walk.
- Lightheadedness, faintness, or a floating sensation.
- Blurred vision.
- Confusion or disorientation.
- Other symptoms might include nausea and vomiting; diarrhea; changes in heart rate and blood pressure; and fear, anxiety, or panic. Symptoms may come and go over short time periods or last for a long time, and can lead to fatigue and depression.
What causes balance disorders?
Causes of balance problems include medications, ear infection, a head injury, or anything else that affects the inner ear or brain. Low blood pressure can lead to dizziness when you stand up too quickly. Problems that affect the skeletal or visual systems, such as arthritis or eye muscle imbalance, can also cause balance disorders. Your risk of having balance problems increases as you get older.
Unfortunately, many balance disorders start suddenly and with no obvious cause.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)[2]
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) sometimes begins with sudden dizziness, which typically is triggered by changes in head position.
Dizziness, symptoms include and can happen when changing positions, lying down, and standing stationary.
- Feelings of light-headedness, spinning or unsteadiness,
- Queasiness and disorientation, the feelings of passing out
- Moving sensations such as spinning, swaying, titling in any direction.
Ménière’s Disease,
- An inner ear problem that can result in dizziness and hearing loss, usually affecting one ear and it can start at any age of the individual.
Vertigo
- Is an illusion of movement; a sensation as if the external world were revolving around an individual (objective vertigo) or as if the individual were revolving in space (subjective vertigo).
[1] Vestibular System – system in the body that is responsible for maintaining balance, posture, and the body’s orientation in space. This system also regulates locomotion and other movements and keeps objects in visual focus as the body moves.
[2] https://search.cdc.gov/search/?query=Benign%20Paroxysmal%20Positional%20Vertigo&dpage=1
Physically Fit Seniors 