You’re walking casually on the street but suddenly you find yourself fallen on the ground, but you’re conscious so it can’t be you fainting. Or you suddenly lose your balance and aren’t able to control yourself and either fall down or are about to.
Both these situations are examples of Balance Problems/Frequent Falls.
Having frequent falls or problems in maintaining your balance can be a problem you should never neglect. Loss of balance / falls can be dangerous because it can lead to fractured bone, head injury, bruises, sprains which if severe, might require surgical intervention. Hence, prevention is better than rest.
Balance and frequent falls
Balance can be defined as an even distribution of weight that allows us to remain steady without falling. This balance is the reason why we can walk, sit or do anything at all without falling or tripping. This balance of us is controlled by our inner ear and our brain. Therefore, it is when we get drunk that we feel tipsy, as the alcohol affects the brain and hinders the balance.
Losing balance once could be normal but frequently losing your balance and falling to the ground is something one should never neglect. Because this could be a sign of disorders related to the central nervous system.
Frequent falls usually occur in elderly people. However, other reasons for balance problems could be arthritis, muscle weakness, visual problems, neurological disorders, vestibular disorders, etc.
One of the main problems which could be the cause of frequent falls/ balance problems is vestibular disorder. Like we mentioned earlier, our inner ear is responsible for providing us with balance and vestibular disorder affects this particular part. The symptoms of this disorder are dizziness, vertigo, balance problems, disorientation, etc. And the disorder could be caused due to infection, medications but is more commonly found in older adults.
While this might be one of the underlying problems, there could be other problems associated with it, therefore, it should never be neglected. Besides, the fear of frequently losing your balance and falling can hamper your daily living and cause anxiety. To prevent you from worrying about these problems hindering your normal routine, there are treatments for them and one of these is physiotherapy.
