Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
What Causes Loss Of Balance Post An Accident?
Question: my husband loose his balance and falls down he cannot stand until he catch hiself
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I passed carefully through your question and would explain that it is important performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis between different causes that may lead to this clinical scenario.
I would like to know if these complaints began abruptly, or they have started slowly and the situation has worsened gradually.
Is the vertigo triggered by head and neck movements? This feature would be indicative of an inner ear disorder or chronic degenerations of the cervical spine (a benign type of Vertigo).
His past medical history (with a lot of cardio-vascular risk factors) is concerning for a possible stroke, which could mimic this clinical scenario. If his symptoms began abruptly, this would be another argument in favor of a possible stroke.
If the symptoms occur time after time, they could be a sign of vertebro-basilar insufficiency, which means that his blood vessels are narrowed and he may be at risk for a stroke.
Another possible cause to consider would be orthostatic hypotension, especially considering the fact that he suffers from diabetes. Does his blood pressure drop when standing up? Does he feel lightheaded or blurring vision while standing up? These features would go in favor of orthostatic hypotension.
Coming to this point, I would recommend consulting with a neurologist for a careful physical exam and some tests:
- a brain MRA with gadolinium enhancement or a brain angio CT scan in order to exclude a possible stroke or vertebro-basilary insufficiency
- a Head Up Tilt test would be necessary if suspicions of orthostatic hypotension are raised
- a cervical spine X Ray study to investigate for chronic degenerations of the cervical spine.
If these tests result normal, consulting with an ENT specialist and performing labyrinthine tests would be needed.
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I passed carefully through your question and would explain that it is important performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis between different causes that may lead to this clinical scenario.
I would like to know if these complaints began abruptly, or they have started slowly and the situation has worsened gradually.
Is the vertigo triggered by head and neck movements? This feature would be indicative of an inner ear disorder or chronic degenerations of the cervical spine (a benign type of Vertigo).
His past medical history (with a lot of cardio-vascular risk factors) is concerning for a possible stroke, which could mimic this clinical scenario. If his symptoms began abruptly, this would be another argument in favor of a possible stroke.
If the symptoms occur time after time, they could be a sign of vertebro-basilar insufficiency, which means that his blood vessels are narrowed and he may be at risk for a stroke.
Another possible cause to consider would be orthostatic hypotension, especially considering the fact that he suffers from diabetes. Does his blood pressure drop when standing up? Does he feel lightheaded or blurring vision while standing up? These features would go in favor of orthostatic hypotension.
Coming to this point, I would recommend consulting with a neurologist for a careful physical exam and some tests:
- a brain MRA with gadolinium enhancement or a brain angio CT scan in order to exclude a possible stroke or vertebro-basilary insufficiency
- a Head Up Tilt test would be necessary if suspicions of orthostatic hypotension are raised
- a cervical spine X Ray study to investigate for chronic degenerations of the cervical spine.
If these tests result normal, consulting with an ENT specialist and performing labyrinthine tests would be needed.
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
