Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Balance Problems
Have you ever felt dizzy, lightheaded, or as if the room is spinning around you? If the feeling happens often, it could be a sign of a balance problem. Balance problems can make you feel unsteady. You may also have blurred vision, confusion, and disorientation. They are one cause of falls and fall-related injuries, such as a hip fracture (broken hip).
Some balance problems are due to problems in the inner ear. Others may involve another part of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Aging, infections, head injury, certain medicines, or problems with blood circulation may also cause balance problems.
It is important to see your doctor about balance problems. They can be a sign of other health problems, such as an ear infection or a stroke. Your doctor may send you to a specialist for a diagnosis. You may need a hearing test, blood tests, or imaging studies of your head and brain. Other possible tests look at your eye movements, and how your body responds to movement.
In some cases, treating the illness that is causing the disorder will help with the balance problem. Exercises, a change in diet, and some medicines also can help.
It sits within Older Adults and Ear, Nose and Throat.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Balance Problems
178 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Effect of Dual-Task Training on Balance and Fall Risk in Lower Limb Amputees Using ProsthesisKafrelsheikh University
- Telerehabilitation Based Motor Relearning Program and Telerehabilitation Based Conventional Physical Therapy in StrokeRiphah International University
- Dual-Task Balance Training in Traumatic Lower-Limb Prosthesis UsersAl-Azhar University - Gaza
- Balance4Mobility: Effects of Walkasins Use in Individuals With Peripheral Neuropathy and Balance ProblemsRxFunction Inc.
- Groningen Meander Walking Test in Older Adults With Balance ProblemsOrdu University
- Balance Dimensions-Based Rehabilitation Program in People With Acquired Brain InjuryUniversity of Castilla-La Mancha
Research already completed
- Effect of Balance Exercises on Performance in Amputee Football PlayersIstanbul Rumeli University
- Multicomponent Exercise and Frailty in Nursing Home ResidentsEscoles Universitaries Gimbernat
- Mechanisms of Balance Disorders in a Seated Position Following a StrokeRennes University Hospital
- Tai-Chi Chuan and Frenkel Coordination Exercises in ElderlyHalic University
- Frequency-Dependent Effects of Mobilization-Based Exercise on Dynamic Postural Control in Orchestra Musicians: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled TrialInonu University
- Exercise Balance Program for Fall Prevention in Multiple SclerosisInternational Hellenic University
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Balance DisordersNational Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Symptoms
- Vestibular SymptomsVestibular Disorders Association
Living With
- Dealing With Dizziness: Getting Help for a Balance DisorderNational Institutes of Health
- Living with a Vestibular DisorderVestibular Disorders Association
- Strength and Balance ExercisesAmerican Heart Association
- Tai Chi for BalanceVestibular Disorders Association
- Vestibular Rehabilitation: Lifestyle ChangesUniversity of Michigan Health System
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Balance ProblemsNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Proprioception. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Balance Problems, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.