Elderly Falls Often Caused by Inner Ear Disorders

We have all read a lot or certainly spoken about falls, how they take away independence of older adults; that each year one third of older adults suffer from a fall, or that 25% of older Americans suffer a hip fracture after a fall and die within six months; two thirds of older adults who have a history of a fall in the past year will fall again within 12 months; and, of course, treating fall injuries is extremely expensive.

But how many of us know that many of these falls are due to inner ear disorders and the number of adults affected by these disorders is staggering?  Did you know that 85% of Americans over the age of 80 are affected by inner ear disorders, 70% of diabetics and 50% of Americans over the age of 60? Maybe the two most unexpected statistics are that 33% of Americans over the age of 40 are affected by inner ear disorders and 33% of all patients are asymptomatic.

Many people know that the inner ear gives us our sense of hearing. Yet, it is not as well known that the inner ear is very important when it comes to balance and personal safety. It works together with the senses of vision, touch, and body position to keep you steady on your feet. The inner ear senses motion and the pull of gravity. Having inner ears that aren’t working properly can cause stumbling, veering, tilting, and even falling. The inner ears also have a very strong connection to the eye muscles. If you didn’t have inner ears, every time you moved your head, your vision would blur! Inner ear problems that affect the equilibrium system are very common, and falling is a major concern. There are many types of balance disorders; some are mild, some are severe, some come on suddenly in frightening attacks, while others develop slowly over months or years.

Other medical conditions become a factor and can clearly affect balance. If a person suffers from leg muscle weakness, or in the case of an elderly diabetic man who has numb feet; that would make balancing harder. Add an inner ear problem to the mix and it becomes all the more dangerous and may cause fall. It is reported that elderly people with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed inner ear problems are clearly more at risk for falls that then lead to limitations of their daily activities that may lead to depression.

It is oftentimes hard for a person to figure out for himself if he has an inner ear problem. Besides considering a medical alert system, it is recommended to consult your family doctor, who will likely refer you to a specialist in inner ear disorders. Audiologists and ear nose and throat (ENT) physicians who specialize in the balance system are the most skilled in diagnosing inner ear problems. These practitioners often work as a team, take a case history and do inner ear testing to diagnose the problem.It is always best to be safe, not sorry.

Related Articles
Balance Exercises and Fall Prevention
Home Safety: Making your Home Safe for Seniors
The Benefits of Medical Alarms  

• Tweet