In the United States, there are about eight million adults who suffer with balance problems. Nearly one third of older adults have difficulty with their balance or with walking. This can be due to inner ear infection, nerve problems in the legs or feet, Parkinson’s disease, or other conditions.
One of those other causes is diabetes. When it is uncontrolled, diabetes can affect your balance, often from a loss of sensation due to nerve damage in the bottoms of the feet.
Migraine headaches are another reason balance may be compromised. If you’ve ever had migraines, you probably know they are often accompanied by motion sickness, vision issues, and balance problems. Dizziness occurs when you are unable to correctly process what you’re seeing.
If you are having problems with your balance, you may be sent for a hearing test. While most of us are aware that an inner ear infection can affect balance, what isn’t as commonly known is that the nerve that sends balance signals also sends hearing signals. Thus, if you have a problem that affects your balance, it can also affect your hearing.
Although we often don’t usually consider poor balance that big a deal, it can indicate other things going on within us, and if we fall, it can lead to serious injury or long-term difficulties.
Whatever the underlying cause of your loss of balance is, don’t brush it off and ignore it. Balance problems can indicate other things going on with your health. Fortunately, most of them can be successfully treated.