Wobbling gait is a rather alarming symptom that may indicate the presence of a serious pathology of the brain, nervous system or musculoskeletal system. Young children also have some unsteadiness in walking when they are learning to walk, but this will improve with time. If such a symptom arose at an older age, you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible to undergo an examination and identify the problem.
Manifestations
With the normal coordinated functioning of the bone, muscle and eye systems, as well as the inner ear and nerve trunks, there are no problems with gait. But as soon as at least one of these elements fails, disturbances arise in the form of a shaky gait. Sometimes these deviations are practically not noticeable, but there are cases when a person, due to such a condition, practically cannot move in space. His gait becomes unsteady, wobbly.
There are a lot of reasons for such symptoms. Therefore, it is worthwhile to understand in detail what diseases a person has a similar symptom.
Causes of unsteady gait
Incoordination is a rather dangerous symptom. Therefore, if you experience gait disturbances, you should immediately consult a doctor. A wobbly gait may signal problems such as:
- Infantile cerebral palsy.
- Diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system (muscle tissue, joints, bones, tendons).
- Lack of vitamins B1, B12, folate.
- Neoplasms in the brain.
- Poisoning by alcohol and narcotic and psychotropic substances.
- Diseases affecting the brain and spinal cord.
- Hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes.
- Tranio-cerebral injuries.
- Varicosis, thrombobarteritis obliterans.
- Myasthenia gravis and multiple sclerosis.
- Fascos.
Unsteady gait can occur when wearing uncomfortable shoes.
Diseases of the brain and spinal cord
When a person is he althy, he does not have a question how to maintain balance in an upright position, since this function is automatically regulated by the vestibular apparatus and the muscular system. Disturbances in coordination of movements, including gait, can occur with diseases of the spinal cord and brain. These organs are responsible for the functioning of the central nervous system, and thereforediseases associated with them lead to such disorders. A patient with vestibular disorders has a staggering gait, dizziness, unsteadiness of the trunk, and other symptoms.
When the brain is damaged, the organ is not able to give certain signals and control neural processes, and this directly affects the work of the lower extremities.
What pathologies of the brain and spinal cord can lead to impaired coordination?
- Atherosclerosis.
- VSD.
- Hemorrhagic stroke.
- Meningitis.
- Oncological diseases.
- Inflammatory and purulent processes occurring in the brain.
- Anomalies in the location and structure of the "small brain" (cerebellum).
- Functional disorders in the work of the central nervous system.
- Neurodegenerative diseases caused by mental disorders or hyperkinesis.
- Infection with Treponema pallidum, followed by CNS damage.
- Encephalomyelitis.
- Parkinson's disease.
Inflammatory processes in the inner ear can also lead to impaired coordination. In order to avoid complications, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner. He will conduct a thorough examination and prescribe treatment. Unsteady gait can also be caused by misuse of neurotoxic drugs. An overdose of such drugs leads to the development of polyneuropathy, one of the symptoms of which is coordination disorders.
Disorders of the musculoskeletalpropulsion system
There are many pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, in which a person may experience a wobbly gait. These include:
- osteochondrosis;
- arthritis;
- osteomyelitis;
- arthrosis, etc.
Inflammatory processes and degenerative changes that occur in the joints lead to painful sensations. To alleviate the condition, a person tries to reduce the load on the legs as much as possible, due to which his movements when walking become asymmetric.
For example, with osteochondrosis, afferent and efferent fibers (connect the brain with other parts of the body and organs) that go to the lower extremities are infringed. Due to the pinching of the nerve roots, the muscle tissues and their sensitivity are weakened.
Symptom of unsteady gait can also occur after a fracture of the lower extremities. During the period while the leg was cast, the muscle tissues did not function properly, that is, they did not participate in movement, which led to their atrophy. Until the muscles adapt and return to normal, the patient will experience unsteadiness and asymmetry in gait.
Disturbances in coordination of movements can occur with sprains and ruptures of the tendons, as well as with paralysis of muscle tissues.
Neuroses and mental disorders
Such a symptom as a wobbly gait can occur with various mental disorders and pathologies of the nervous system. These include stress and depression,nervous breakdowns, neuroses. Also, a lack of coordination can be observed in violation of the perception of the surrounding reality, in the presence of groundless fears and anxieties.
Alcohol intoxication of the body
The use of alcohol, narcotic and psychotropic drugs leads to intoxication of the body and disruption of the central nervous system, which is why such a symptom as a staggering gait occurs.
After the toxic substances enter the digestive system, they are absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to all organs by the bloodstream. These substances penetrate the muscle tissue and the brain, including the cerebellum, which is responsible for the coordination of movements. The maximum concentration of a substance in the blood is observed 20 minutes after taking alcohol or drugs.
In women, the intoxicating effect is much stronger than in the representatives of the stronger sex. It's all about the characteristics of the body. Women have more fatty tissues, and as you know, alcohol-containing substances do not dissolve in them. Since with alcohol intoxication, the muscular system first of all weakens, therefore, the manifestations of poisoning in the fairer sex are more pronounced.
In the process of disintegration of alcohol, a very harmful, toxic substance, acetaldehyde, is released. It negatively affects the functioning of the cerebellum, which leads to impaired coordination. A drunk person's eyes become cloudy, while walking there is a shaky gait, etc. With severe intoxication, headache, nausea, and an urge tovomit.
Diagnosis
If you have a wobbly gait, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this symptom may hide a very serious illness. After examining the patient and assessing his general state of he alth, the specialist prescribes additional diagnostic measures that will help make the correct diagnosis. Depending on the concomitant symptoms, may be prescribed:
- MRI;
- CT;
- consultation of narrow specialists: otolaryngologist, neurosurgeon, etc.;
- MR angiography;
- electroencephalography;
- toxicological examination;
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- analysis to determine the concentration of vitamin B12 in the blood.
Treatment
There is no treatment for wobbly gait as such, as it is only a symptom. First of all, the doctor must decide which disease has led to a violation of the functions of coordination of movements, and only then choose an effective therapy.
The spectrum of diseases in which such symptoms occur is very large. Accordingly, there are many methods of treatment. For example:
- Pathologies of the musculoskeletal system are treated with the help of chondroprotectors "Mukosat", "Don" and others, as well as physiotherapy. Additionally, complexes of minerals, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
- If a wobbly gait is due to a lack of B vitamins, experts recommend taking drugs such as Milgamma, Neuromultivit, Kombilipen, etc. These remedies are beneficialaffect the nervous system.
- Multiple sclerosis uses glucocorticoid hormones, immunosuppressants that suppress autoimmune responses.
- For more serious pathologies, such as brain tumors and other serious conditions, they resort to surgical intervention.
