What Do You Know About Balance Disorders?

The labyrinth is an organ in the inner ear. It works with your eyes, bones and joints, brain and nervous system to maintain the body's position.

The semicircular canals are called superior, posterior, and horizontal. They are filled with fluid. When the fluid moves, it tells you that you are moving in a circular motion. The motion of the fluid can tell your brain whether you are nodding our heads up and down or right and left. The otolithic organs in the ear are called the utricle and the saccule. They tell you about movement in a straight line, backward, or forward.

The eyes tell you where your body is in space. But they also work the ears, skeletal system, and brain and nervous system to keep you balanced.

Other symptoms include a spinning sensation, lightheadedness, feeling woozy, visual blurring, and disorientation. Some people may feel nauseated. They may vomit or have diarrhea; feel faint; notice changes in heart rate; and feel fear, anxiety, or panic, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) says. Some symptoms may come and go. Others may last for a long time.

Other causes of balance disorders include head injury, circulation problems that affect the inner ear or brain, and certain medicines. A balance disorder may be caused by a problem in the inner ear, in the brain and nervous system, or in the circulatory system. Balance problems are one of the main reasons that older adults see their doctor. Balance problems affect about 9% of people ages 65 and older, the NIDCD says. Balance problems can lead to falls. Falls are a leading cause of death and disability in older adults.

It causes vertigo, fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus, and a feeling of fullness in the ear, the NIDCD says. Another balance disorder is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It causes brief, intense periods of vertigo when moving the head. Labyrinthitis is an inflammation of the inner ear. Vestibular neuronitis is an infection of the vestibular nerve. Perilymph fistula is when the inner ear fluid leaks into the middle ear.

Motion sickness occurs when there is a conflict of signals to the brain about the sensation of movement. For instance, when you read in a moving car, your eyes see the book, which isn't moving. But your body senses the movement of the car. Your brain has difficulty resolving these conflicting reports. Some symptoms of motion sickness are dizziness, sweating, nausea, and vomiting.

Treatment depends on the particular balance disorder and the person being treated. If an illness such as ear infection or stroke is the cause of the balance disorder, treatment likely will be for that particular disease. Some people may get help from balance retraining exercises, also called vestibular rehabilitation, the NIDCD says. Antibiotics and changes in diet may be prescribed for people with Meniere's disease.

Other suggestions include limiting your intake of salt and nicotine; practicing relaxation techniques to reduce stress; not doing hazardous activities when feeling dizzy.