Good balance is essential for an individual to be able to regulate and keep body position while moving or staying still. Good balance helps an individual to walk without staggering, arise from a sitting position without slipping, and to climb stairs without tripping.
About 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, describe having challenges with balance. Good balance is necessary in helping an older person to stay independent, and to carry out daily chores and activities. Dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance are experienced by quite a few individuals as they grow older.
The sensation by some people that they, themselves, or their environment is spinning is known as “vertigo.” About 40 percent of individuals in the U.S. will encounter dizziness that is serious enough to go to a doctor. And, among older adults, falls are the prevailing cause of serious injury and deaths.
Balance and Inner Ear Conditions
There are a variety of balance disorders. Three familiar types are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common. Its symptoms involve a brief, intense experience of vertigo with a change in head position, when rolling over to the left or right in bed or when getting out of bed, or when looking up for an object on a high shelf. This condition is more disposed in individuals 60 and older, but it can also happen in younger people.
The reasons for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are diverse. It may be produced by an inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging. Many times times a simple Epleys procedure can correct the condition, though it can be associated with other disease processes. Your Orlando Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.
Labyrinthitis is an infection or iagitation of the inner ear that cause dizziness and loss of balance. It affects people|individuals of any age and the cause is currently undiscovered.
Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that causes vertigo, hearing loss inconsistent, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.
Age is not the only reason these conditions take place, but older people are more likely to encounter balance disorders. Depending on the cause of the balance disorder, therapy will vary. A chiropractor is well-trained in diagnosing and treating many of the causes. Sometimes, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the solution to balance challenges. Consult a health care professional, such as yourOrlando Chiropractor, if you have encountered, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other problems with balance.
Whereas some balance disorders are created by problems in the inner ear, other disorders may involve another area of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Head injury, stroke, certain medicines, circulation challenges, upper respiratory infections and other viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease are all factors that, in addition to aging and ear infection, may create balance disorders.
Balance disorders caused by high blood pressure can generally be managed by less sodium intake,maintaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To help in making the symptoms of dizziness less intense, most often eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.
Balance disorders are dangerous. It is the number one cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is essential to have a suspected balance disorder diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
If you can answer “yes” to any of the questions listed below, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:
• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Does the room seem to spin around you?
• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?
• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?
• Do you feel as if you are falling?
• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?
Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your chiropractor today.