balance
 

h I cannot find the answer to this, and noone seems to know (yet) the correct answer. I can stand normal, and have minor-to mild balance problems, but not to bad (kind of like your drunk balance). If I stand with my feet spread apart, say past shoulder width, my balance improves to almost a normal level with minimal sway. When I put my feet directly together, its impossible for me to balance myself. I mean, I fall. I cant stand straight and still with feet together. It gets worse closing my eyes , and trying to stand on one foot is near impossible.

Why is that? The pt thinks its my cerebellum. This headache specialist thinks its my ear. You guys have any thoughts? they did vertigo testing on me, and said its not that, and the headache specialist literally knows nothing about me since she doesnt look at my file, nor listen to a word I say. Only one thing happens to me that I could possibly think that its my ears. They get very full now since the accident. My hearing one day is great, the next day I can barely hear anything. Also, up to about 3 months after the accident my ears would leak a clear, weird smelling fluid. A lot of times when they are full, eventually they will pop and it feels so much better.

One other thing I should mention. I remember in the first few weeks after the incident, how badly my ears hurt. Like I would want to scratch the inside of my ears out and I would pull on them trying to get the pressure out. But its not nearly that intense anymore.

Its very mind boggling to me. Im very curious what is actually causing this.

http://vestibular.org/node/2

Here is a link to some interesting symptoms of the vestibular system. Scroll down and you can read the about the different diagnoses.

Huge balance issues
 

I have the same issues with balance, I can't stand on one foot without falling over, I can't walk a straight line with one foot in front of the other and closing my eyes it is a lot worse. I was also asked to walk on my heels and there was no way I could do that either.

I have the same issues with my ears, feeling full, feeling like fluid dripping, popping, and vibrating (electricity). I went to an ear nose and throat specialist and was told it is all coming from my neck.

The balance issues for me are caused by proprisemption (sorry I can't get that word tonight). Basically, balance is an issues of vision, sensors in your feet and I can't remember the third element. (not a good night for me).

I was cleaning the top of my microwave the other day and looking up makes me extremely nauseated and dizzy. I also have post traumatic vision syndrome and vision mid line shift syndrome. Both these contribute to unbalance, vision issues, nausea and dizziness.

Some people have had some success with vestibular therapy. I still do vestibular therapy but it makes me extremely sick, I don't know if I have had any significant improvement from the exercises. I also do vision therapy 3 times a week, the neuro optometrist says there is some improvement but it is very slight.

Good luck.

Forgot one more thing
 

Shoes - very important. I can not wear any kind of shoes with a heal and changing shoes provide a big challenge. I once put on a pair of slippers with a foam surface, I was extremely ill within a few minutes and it took me a while to figure out it was the shoes. Any change to the proception (again can't think of the word) in your feet has a profound effect, so look at your footwear.

Thanks for your responses.

After 2 months of vestibular/physical therapy I was discharged yesterday. Ive reach a point where im just not improving at all, and doing more harm than good.

Bitter pill to swallow, but I will continue to do all my home exercises they taught me, and hopefully will restart the therapy sometime in January once I enter a proper concussion clinic.