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"I used to love walking, but now I dread it..."
July 2007
Most of us take the simple act of walking for granted. But try to imagine yourself in this patient's shoes:
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"I am so unsteady when I walk that I feel as if I could fall down at any time. I used to love to walk but now I dread it. It started a number of years ago. I got up one night to use the bathroom and started losing my balance. I had not been sick or sustained an injury; I had no idea why all of a sudden I felt so unsteady.
"It has since gotten much worse. Now quite often during the day, I feel unsteady walking—so
much so, I often have to hold on to something to keep myself from falling. It takes so much
energy just to keep myself upright that it is a
major effort just to walk.
"I also experience frequent numbness and tingling in my feet and toes, but find the loss of balance to be a far worse problem." |
Any number of medical conditions can cause balance problems: vertigo, inner ear infections, and migraines are frequent culprits. However, a less widely known condition called peripheral neuropathy can also cause unsteadiness when walking. Peripheral neuropathy is due to nerve damage in the affected area, predominantly the feet. People with neuropathy often say they cannot feel their feet when they are walking, making even routine activities an uncomfortable challenge.
My advice is to seek medical attention. If a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy is made, you can take some comfort in knowing that in recent years, great strides have been made in the treatment of its symptoms, including specific remedies to help improve balance. For instance:
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Shoes with rocker-bottom soles are designed to help a person walk from heel-to-toe rather than side-to-side. Many comfort shoes such as
SAS®, Rockport® and others now come with this type of sole.
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Walking aids such as a cane can help prevent falls, thereby reducing the risk of breaking a hip (or some other catastrophic injury).
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In recent years lightweight braces, which are easy to apply and far less conspicuous than the older models, have helped many patients improve their steadiness when walking.
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There is even a new medical device on the horizon that sends a small vibratory impulse to the muscle, which has shown promise in greatly improving balance. |
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