Are Any of These Factors Contributing to Your Unsteadiness?

You get up from your chair and feel dizzy or perhaps you just feel less and less steady on your feet when you move around. There are any number of issues that can lead to unsteadiness. The possibilities range from musculoskeletal and cardiac issues to intoxication and neurologic disorders.

As neurologic experts, our team here at Complete Neurological Care is going to focus on unsteadiness that’s related to less-than-obvious issues, rather than drinking a few too many glasses of wine or spraining an ankle.

Defining unsteadiness

When we refer to unsteadiness, we’re referring to a wide range of possibilities, all of which make you feel less than confident when you move around. To give you an idea, we consider the following to fall under unsteadiness:

• Lack of balance
• Dizziness
• Vertigo
• Fainting
• Weakness
• Numbness
• Clumsiness

All of these issues place you at risk for falling and injury, and they interfere with your ability to function normally.

Factors that can lead to unsteadiness

As we mentioned, there are scores of conditions, illnesses, injuries, and outside sources that can lead to unsteadiness. For the purposes of this discussion, we’re going to focus on some common neurologic conditions, as well as some risk factors.

Age

First, we want to start with age, which is the most common risk factor for experiencing unsteadiness. When you age, your joints and muscles become weaker, slowly robbing you of steady and confident movements. 

Unfortunately, about 36 million older Americans fall each year, largely due to unsteadiness.

Balance disorders

A person of any age can develop a balance disorder and/or vertigo for a wide range of reasons that range from infections in the inner or middle ear to brain tumors.

Medications

There are certain medications that can lead to unsteadiness, such as opioid-based painkillers or antidepressants.

Nerve damage

If you have a disease like diabetes, you’re more susceptible to neuropathy, or nerve damage, especially in your lower limbs, and this damage can rob you of steadiness.

Migraines

If you’re among the 39 million Americans who suffer from migraines, you know that symptoms can vary widely. One that’s not all that uncommon is unsteadiness on your feet during an attack.

Seizure disorders

If you have a seizure disorder (epilepsy), this is a major risk factor for unsteadiness.

Stroke

If you’ve had a stroke, you may be faced with considerable unsteadiness afterward, often on one side of your body.

There are many other issues that can lead to unsteadiness, such as hypotension, which can lead to fainting, or eye problems that impede your vision or depth perception. 

Our point here is that unsteadiness can stem from almost every area of your health, and if you aren’t aware of any obvious explanation, come see us for an assessment.

After reviewing your symptoms and your medical history, we can narrow down the possibilities and perform targeted testing and evaluations to get to the bottom of your unsteadiness.

To get started, please contact one of our offices in Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, or Margate, Florida, to schedule an appointment.