Aging as Gracefully as a… Flamingo?
You might not think of standing on one leg as a litmus test for aging well, but experts say it’s a great way to get insight into your overall neuromuscular health as you get older.
A recent National Geographic article explains how regular movement and balance training are vital to maintaining stability and independence as you age. “’We utilize [balance] diagnostically to rule in or rule out other diseases,’ says Paraminder Padgett, a neurological clinical specialist and physical therapy clinical supervisor at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. ‘We know inactivity can lead to poor balance, but problems in the brain can also lead to poor balance. One of our jobs is to help tease that out.’”
To check your balance, try standing on one leg for 10 seconds. If this is difficult or impossible for you, consider checking in with your doctor for additional screenings.
Balance and the ear
As you may know, the vestibular system inside the ear works in tandem with your eyes and body to help you balance. Dizziness, vertigo or unsteadiness can be signs that something is out of whack in your inner ear.
More than 1 in every 3 Americans over age 40 experience vestibular dysfunction at some point, so if you’re struggling with this, you are not alone. The good news is that in 90% of cases, dizziness and imbalance disorders can be successfully treated with proper diagnosis.
An audiologist can help assess and treat many balance and vertigo issues.
Symptoms of balance issues
Common symptoms of dizziness and balance issues include:
- You feel unsteady on your feet, or off balance when standing or walking.
- You find it difficult to walk on uneven surfaces.
- Things appear blurry when you move your head.
- You feel uncomfortable or lightheaded when you look at moving objects, in reality or on screens.
- When you’re walking, you feel like you might fall at any time, or you have an ongoing fear of falling.
- You have trouble walking in areas of dim lighting.
- You tend to veer from side to side when walking and have trouble walking in a straight line.
- The room rotates when you are lying down and/or sitting up.
What causes dizziness and imbalance?
There are several different underlying causes of balance issues. These include:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) – a common condition where small particles in the inner ear get displaced and cause intense episodes of vertigo when changing positions.
- Loss of balance and unsteadiness — disruption to any of the 3 major systems that maintain balance (vision, touch, inner ear) can cause imbalance issues.
- Migraine – dizziness or vertigo can be an aura, or precursor, to migraines.
- Vestibular neuronitis – inflammation in the inner ear that causes rapid-onset, intense vertigo with nausea and vomiting.
Health risks of dizziness and imbalance
In addition to the discomfort of balance problems, these conditions can cause a number of other health issues, including:
- Falling
- Personal safety concerns, such as driving
- Avoiding social activities
- Isolation and depression
Diagnosis and treatment of balance disorders
An audiologist who specializes in hearing and balance disorders, such as Danielle Dorner, AuD, at the Associated Audiologists Overland Park clinic, can do a series of different tests to determine the source of your issues and how it can best be treated.
Call (855) 547-8745 or contact us to schedule an appointment. You can also download our free e-book on dizziness and balance disorders.
