Oh my gosh, yes. In fact, my first (mistaken) diagnosis was an inner-ear virus because I told the doctor I was having balance troubles. It took me months to understand that the whole balance problem was caused by weakness in my lower back and sides.

Here's how it seems to me: when you walk, the top half of your body normally sways a bit to the side with each step. Then your muscles tighten up to stop you from swaying too much. But if those muscles are weak, they don't contract properly, and you sway a bit more than you meant to. That throws off your balance.

In the beginning, the only symptom I had to report to the doctor was that as I walked, I found myself having to take an extra step to the side to "catch" myself a few times a day. The doctor wrote "ataxia" on my chart.

I also kept falling over the gate we were using to keep the dog out of the kitchen (stupid dog--I once tripped carrying a bowl of cereal, and did I get any sympathy? Nope. He just happily ate the cereal I'd spilled). I didn't realize my leg muscles were weak, but they were just weak enough not to lift my leg as high as I'd intended. Again, it felt like clumsiness, but it was a result of weak muscles. Now we have no dog-gate. Instead, the garbage can is bolted to the wall just out of his reach.

If your muscles aren't moving your legs as high or as far as you're telling them to, you'll feel clumsy.

Abby