Why does one feel unsteady, unsteady, or dizzy when walking: possible causes and treatment for an unsteady, slow gait. How to get rid of a shaky, uncertain gait: medicine, vestibular gymnastics

Symptoms of unsteady gait with VSD

Vascular dystonia manifests itself differently in everyone. Complaints depend on the type of VSD, the severity and reactivity of the body. However, the leading symptoms with which people consult a doctor are dizziness and unsteadiness of gait.

The symptom of unsteady gait is included in several syndromes characteristic of vegetative-vascular dystonia (cerebrovascular, hyperventilation, cardiovascular syndromes).

As already mentioned, VSD is a violation of the imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the nervous systems.

Depending on which department’s action prevails, symptoms will appear:

• the sympathetic type (in the case where the sympathetic nervous system has a predominant effect) is characterized by dilated pupils, enlarged, as if frightened, eyes, dry mouth, rapid and strong heartbeat, weak appetite, decreased intestinal motility, pale skin that may be covered with " goosebumps";
• The parasympathetic type is manifested by a constricted pupil, excessive salivation, decreased blood pressure, decreased heart rate, increased appetite, increased intestinal motility, sweating, redness of the skin (usually on the face).

In addition to the two main types, a mixed type is possible, which includes both “sympathetic” and “parasympathetic” symptoms.

A distinctive feature of VSD is that it affects all systems and organs. This creates difficulties for making a diagnosis, because most often specialists are looking for disorders of a specific organ.

Shakes when walking: what is the reason and how to get rid of the disease

Why does dizziness and unsteadiness occur when walking? Recommendations for resolving the problem.

Modern man lives so dynamically that sometimes he does not notice that his body is sending him warning signals that it is time to stop and rest. As a rule, the first sign of internal problems is dizziness.

At first, this symptom will be almost unnoticeable and will appear at those moments when a person rises sharply or walks very quickly.

But as the condition worsens, dizziness will become more pronounced and will begin to be accompanied by accompanying symptoms - weakness, nausea, shortness of breath, headache and darkening of the eyes.

Such manifestations will indicate that internal reserves are on the verge, and it’s time to start working closely with your body.

We will talk about what can cause such problems and how to deal with them in our article.

Why do you feel dizzy?

An alarming symptom never appears out of nowhere. Dizziness in all cases is caused by pathological processes occurring in the internal environment of a person. The leading positions are occupied by disruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Disturbances in their normal functioning lead to improper metabolism between blood and nerve cells. This leads to the fact that all organs carry out their activities in an enhanced mode; they are overstrained. The person is weakened and gets tired quickly.

Therefore, it is not surprising that you often feel dizzy when walking.

What medications should be used for unsteady gait in the elderly?

Medicines for unsteady gait in the elderly

With age, all processes in the human body slow down. This inevitably begins to affect the functioning of internal organs and, as a result, causes appear that directly provoke the appearance of a shaky, uncertain gait.

A similar problem appears due to poor cerebral circulation, vision problems, muscle strain, and even due to diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease. All these pathologies provoke functional disorders of the nervous system, which takes an active part in human movement.

Medicines that will help solve the problem:

• Bilobil. The drug is used to restore oxygen supply to the cerebral cortex. In addition, it effectively increases concentration, so that a person stops getting lost in space.
• Tolperisone. This medicine fights increased muscle tone, which slows down movements and prevents you from raising your legs in a timely manner. Another feature of Tolperisone is its pronounced analgesic effect.
• Ginkum. A medicine that restores metabolic processes in the walls of blood vessels, thereby making them more flexible and elastic.

Types of dizziness and accompanying symptoms

When you feel dizzy, you can talk about one of two types of dizziness:

1. False. Its appearance is provoked by external and internal factors that are not directly related to dizziness. It starts quickly and goes away quickly. After five minutes it no longer wobbles when walking. Does not pose any threat to the body.
2. True. It occurs when the balance organs malfunction: the nervous system, both peripheral and central, as well as the middle ear. It feels very different from the first type. The patient is completely sure that everything around him is floating and spinning, just like himself.

State of instability

When you feel dizzy and unsteady when walking, this can be a completely natural phenomenon. For example, a person sat in a cinema for two hours. After the end of the session, he stood up abruptly. The blood circulation did not have time to reach a state of increased activity and dizziness occurred.

Another example. The child rode a roller coaster. Fear of heights and high speed provoked an unpleasant feeling of weakness. That's why he sways when he walks.

Symptoms of pathological processes

However, some signs indicate the presence of pathology. Let's look at what you should pay attention to when you feel dizzy and sway when walking:

• unnaturally strong heartbeat, which is felt even in a relaxed state;
• paleness, or, conversely, discoloration of the skin, especially in the facial area;
• nauseating feeling and vomiting;
• strange noises, seemingly extraneous sounds;
• decreased visual acuity, objects around have blurry outlines;
• numbness and coldness of the extremities.

Similar symptoms can be caused by various ailments. You can only understand the specific cause by seeking medical help.

Balance imbalance in cervical osteochondrosis

If the gait becomes stumbling, with “drunk” elements, and at the same time the head is dizzy and noisy, then the pathology may be caused by collar (cervical) osteochondrosis. Unstability, loss of balance and swaying are accompanied by:

• sensation of cotton plugs in the ears;
• aching and lasting cephalalgia, which sharply intensifies with head movements;
• soreness in the neck and face;
• increased heart rate;
• profuse sweating;
• redness or pallor of the epithelium.

Effective ways to improve your condition

It is important to understand that it is impossible to restore a confident gait without treating cervical osteochondrosis, which provokes it. Doctors may prescribe:

• Taking pharmacological agents that dilate and tonic blood vessels, enhancing brain nutrition.
• Do traction and fixation of the collar area, regularly carry out water procedures, and perform a complex (individually selected!) of physical therapy.
• Stick to a diet enriched with vitamins B, C, etc.

A visit to the doctors should not be postponed if the lethargy of the legs is rapidly progressing. It is necessary to conduct a full and comprehensive examination so as not to ignore any anomalies that require immediate surgical intervention. For example, a herniated (prolapsed) intervertebral disc pinching nerve tissue can sharply worsen the condition.

Recipes from the folk treasury will help

The combination of chemicals with simple folk recipes will help you quickly overcome cervical osteochondrosis and restore a light and confident gait:

1. Make potato-honey compresses regularly. Mix fresh potatoes with honey and apply to painful areas of the neck.
2. Prepare a mixture of aloe juice, vodka, honey and radish - mix 2 tbsp. spoons of each component. Drink once a day before meals.
3. Pour boiling water (1 l) over chopped celery root (3 g), leave for 8 hours, strain. Drink 1 dessert spoon three times a day on an empty stomach.

For you: VSD of the hypotonic type: symptoms and treatment

Source: https://neuro-orto.ru/bolezni/vegetativnaya-nervnaya-sistema/vegetososudystaya-dystonyya-vsd/kruzhitsya-golova-i-shataet-pri-hodbe.html

Causes of imbalance and instability in VSD

Dizziness and unsteadiness when walking can occur due to dysregulation at any level of the nervous system. Most often, regulation in the hypothalamic formations of the central nervous system, which are responsible for the emotional and hormonal spheres, suffers.

Impaired balance and the appearance of unsteadiness have the following reasons:

1. Heart rhythm disturbances . This can be either an increase or decrease in sinus rhythm, or various types of arrhythmias, extrasystoles, and so on. As a result of unstable myocardial contractions, blood pressure changes and blood supply to organs, including the brain, deteriorates. Due to a decrease in blood flow to the brain, feelings of dizziness, mental retardation, and unsteadiness when walking occur.
2. Rapid breathing syndrome . Occurs more often with the sympathetic type of vegetative-vascular dystonia. Frequent and shallow breathing leads to excessive excretion of carbon dioxide. This gas state is called alkalosis. In response to this, a spasm of all small arteries occurs, which leads to a feeling of weakness in the limbs, dizziness, and maybe even fainting.
3. Brain disorder syndrome is a combination of hyperventilation, increased or decreased blood pressure, and changes in heart rate. Excess oxygen, lack of carbon dioxide, changes in pressure, in addition to dizziness and unsteadiness, can lead to fainting, darkening of the eyes and impaired consciousness.
4. Mental-neurological syndrome. Due to the imbalance in different parts of the nervous system, adequate adaptation to changing conditions does not occur. But the world around us is complex and multifaceted. Often with VSD, anxiety syndrome, depression, asthenic-neurotic syndrome and other manifestations of mental disorders develop.

One of the important conditions in determining the vegetative-vascular nature of unsteadiness and dizziness is the connection with the patient’s psychological problems and stress. A person reacts to ordinary life situations with morphological health disorders in many systems and organs.

Causes of neurosis

Neuroses are of a psychogenic nature, that is, they arise on the basis of psychological reasons. This may be psychological trauma, external and/or internal conflicts, psycho-emotional stress, or exposure to stress.

As a rule, the action of pathogenic factors “lies” on the basis of a certain person’s personality, past traumatic life experiences, as a result of which a neurotic disorder develops acutely or gradually, which worsens the quality of life, relationships with loved ones, and sometimes it becomes impossible to perform one’s usual tasks. Irritability, anxiety and intolerance lead to conflicts with others, which further affects the condition of a person with neurosis.

When a person is engaged in an activity he doesn’t like, his personal life is unsettled, conflicts regularly occur in the family, a person has too high demands on himself and on the people around him, all this provides fertile ground for the emergence of neurosis. But not only psychological and social factors influence the appearance of this disease, but also physiological ones. These include past infections, intoxication of the body, any stress, as well as drinking alcohol and smoking.

Treatment methods

Treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia should act on the links that lead to the occurrence of such pathological conditions. This means changing lifestyle, normalizing nutrition, and solving psychological problems. Poorly controlled cases are treated with medication.

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Drug treatment

Based on the cause of symptoms, use:

• sedatives, a group of tranquilizers and antipsychotics normalize the electrical activity of the nervous system, slowing down the excessive reaction to external stress;
• in cases that lead to malfunctions of the cardiovascular system, a group of beta blockers is used, which reduce contractility and even out the heart rhythm;
• for pronounced and uncontrolled symptoms, a group acting on benzodiazepine receptors is used. But for a short time and to relieve an acute anxiety attack;
• nootropics, vitamins B, A, E and C - to normalize biochemical reactions.

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Neurosis – as a result of an accumulated destructive process

Physiotherapy

The main direction of physiotherapy for VSD is to relax the patient, remove excessive anxiety, and better feel your body. Physiotherapy is auxiliary in nature and is not considered the main method of treatment, but in combination with other means it improves the result.

Massage is prescribed depending on the type of vegetative-vascular dystonia. If you have a parasympathetic type and low blood pressure, then use a deep and intense massage. In the case of the sympathetic type, massage is prescribed mainly for the cervical-collar area, while the patient must sit.

Electrophoresis of the cervical collar zone combines the action of direct current and special penetration of drugs. This procedure reduces the pain effect, improves microcirculation and relaxes the muscles of the neck and partly the back.

What is unsteadiness of movements?

Unstable movements – permanent or temporary loss of coordination. If they occur systematically, this indicates the presence of abnormal disorders in the body. Extra-systemic indicate that inflammatory processes are occurring in the body.

Most often, unsteadiness of walking manifests itself in combination with other symptoms:

• headache;
• unexplained sudden weakness;
• tingling in the legs;
• dizziness.

To better understand, it is necessary to know why a person may stagger when walking and why this is so important.

Movement is achieved through a healthy bone structure, developed muscles and healthy joints. The cerebellum is the part of the brain responsible for coordination; it is also controlled by vision and the vestibular apparatus.

Impulses pass through the spinal cord, sending a signal to the lower parts of the body that a movement needs to be performed. Only after this the muscles begin to work.

When these impulses are disrupted, the entire system is disrupted. This is where the gait disorder comes from. A transmission failure causes the legs to become unresponsive.

Failures in the musculoskeletal system lead to exactly the same result. The legs cannot correctly carry out the necessary “commands”.

If the functioning of the cerebellum is disrupted, the impulse itself does not reach, therefore, the command does not arrive at all. Consequently, a person cannot move, his legs do not obey.

Psychotherapy

Vegetative-vascular dystonia, along with panic attacks, is recognized in many scientific publications not as a therapeutic diagnosis, but as a psychotherapeutic one. Therefore, psychotherapy plays the main role in the treatment of this pathology.

With VSD, a psychotherapist (not a psychiatrist) helps to cope with anxiety disorders, panic attacks, neurosis and neurosis-like conditions.

After communicating with the patient, his type of thinking, radical and personality type are identified. Based on this, violations of basic mental functions are discussed, dynamic stereotypes are eliminated, communication skills are built, assertiveness and stress resistance are trained. All this forms effective ways to adapt to the social environment and function successfully in it.

Sanatorium treatment for VSD

Treatment of VSD in sanatoriums and resorts is successful. This is explained by a break from the hustle and bustle, extraneous thoughts, and relaxation. In addition to a favorable environment, the resorts offer all types of physiotherapeutic procedures.

They are sent to sanatorium-resort treatment for VSD after exacerbations. So that during the period of remission the body recovers and the period itself without attacks is as long as possible.

Lifestyle with VSD and unsteady gait

VSD occurs predominantly in young and able-bodied people. In some forms, performance may be impaired. Therefore, it is important not to overload and get back into work mode in portions, follow a sleep and rest schedule. Everything should be in moderation – both work and leisure. Doctors do not advise you to completely give up work.

You should also not exclude physical activity. On the contrary, it will help strengthen the heart muscle, nervous system and make the body more resilient. Training should be several times a week, at medium intensity, with a heart rate of about 120 beats per minute.

It is more effective to eat small portions 4-5 times a day. The emphasis should be on water, fruits, nuts, meat (not substitutes in the form of sausages), and vegetables.