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Do you ever walk sideways?

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    Do you ever walk sideways?

    This has only happened a few times that I can remember, but it happened 2 days in a row this week. I was walking down the hall and suddenly I was headed for the wall. Just listing to the left. Then today I was going across the street, up a very slight incline and got that heavy feeling like walking thru mud and went sideways again.

    I'm sure it's nothing to worry about but I'd just like to know what it means.
    Marti




    The only cure for insomnia is to get more sleep.

    #2
    I constantly walk towards the left. I am still walking forward, just not straight. I have done this since I was a teenager.

    Funny, my Mom always did it as well, but to the right. So when we walked together, we were either always bumping into each other like pinballs or walking away from each other and having to shout to converse!

    But I have never truly walked sideways. That would be a strange sensation.
    Kathy
    DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

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      #3
      It's the result of compensating for the one sided weakness brought on by walking up an incline?

      I've walked in a circle when it happens on a particularly steep incline near by. It's weird and embarrassing that's for sure.

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        #4
        Originally posted by pennstater View Post
        I constantly walk towards the left. I am still walking forward, just not straight. I have done this since I was a teenager.

        Funny, my Mom always did it as well, but to the right. So when we walked together, we were either always bumping into each other like pinballs or walking away from each other and having to shout to converse!

        But I have never truly walked sideways. That would be a strange sensation.


        Maybe that's what I was trying to say. I am going straight ahead, but my body is leaning to the left and getting off center. Hard to describe. Any idea what this is or what causes it?
        Marti




        The only cure for insomnia is to get more sleep.

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          #5
          Hi marti,

          It's balance. When there are problems with gait or even problems with dizziness/vertigo, balance is usually affected. Using a mobility aid (cane, walker, trekking poles) can help.
          Diagnosed 1984
          “Lightworkers aren’t here to avoid the darkness…they are here to transform the darkness through the illuminating power of love.” Muses from a mystic

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by marti View Post
            I am going straight ahead, but my body is leaning to the left and getting off center. Hard to describe. Any idea what this is or what causes it?
            Originally posted by SNOOPY View Post
            Hi marti,

            It's balance. When there are problems with gait or even problems with dizziness/vertigo, balance is usually affected. Using a mobility aid (cane, walker, trekking poles) can help.
            Causes of balance and walking problems

            Good balance needs many different parts of your body to work together effectively. It may be helpful to think of these different parts of balance being grouped into

            -input
            -processing
            -output

            MS can affect all three parts of the balance system. Information your brain receives and the replies it sends out can be late, incomplete or misleading. The messages being passed inside your brain can also be disrupted, which affects the way it processes balance information.

            Input

            Vision – visual problems, such as blurring or double vision, can give confusing information to the brain when it tries to work out where the body is moving relative to the world around it.
            The inner ear – the inner ear constantly updates your brain about the angle and position of the head. If MS has affected the message pathways between your inner ear and the brain, the information may be disrupted or missing, which can add to balance problems.
            Sensory changes – changes in sensation, such as numbness or tingling, might mean the brain may not be receiving the accurate information it needs to balance your body properly.

            Processing

            The way that your brain processes balance information is complex, so the effects that MS can have on this processing are also complex. MS nerve damage in the cerebellum or brainstem can also cause problems with vertigo, sometimes accompanied with nausea.

            Output

            MS can cause a wide range of symptoms that can have an effect on balance, including difficulties with coordination, tremor and muscle weakness, stiffness or spasms. These symptoms may mean that your muscles aren’t able to respond properly to the instructions being sent to them by your brain; a weak or stiff muscle might not move to the desired position, or may get there too slowly. If this combines with misleading information about where the muscle is, you may find it harder to balance yourself.

            Other causes of balance problems

            Other MS symptoms

            Some symptoms of MS can have an impact on balance, for example, fatigue or muscle spasms or stiffness. Finding ways of managing those symptoms may in turn help you to manage problems with balance.

            Relapses

            If your balance problems are caused by a relapse, or they get worse during a relapse, then*treating the relapse.*may improve the problem. Treatment with high dose steroids can usually help to speed up recovery from a relapse.

            Rise in body temperature

            Your balance might also be affected if your body temperature rises. This is sometimes known as a ‘pseudo relapse’, because it mimics the symptoms of a relapse. These pseudo relapses can be treated by treating whatever’s causing your raised temperature, such as an infection.

            It may not be your MS

            There are other common causes of balance problems that can affect anyone, whether or not they have MS. These include:

            Inner ear infections - which can cause vertigo and nausea
            Positional vertigo - a spinning sensation caused by particular head movements
            Side effects of medication
            All of these causes are treatable. However, the way that they’re managed differs, so you would need to know what’s causing your balance problems before they can be treated. So if you notice changes in your balance, speak to your GP – it’s important to have any symptoms properly investigated.

            https://www.mssociety.org.uk/what-is...zziness/causes
            Kimba

            “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ― Max Planck

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              #7
              YES!

              I always walk to the left. If we're walking in a parking lot to/from the car, I have to have somebody on the left side to kind of "steer" me if I veer off too far. My vision is also worse in my left eye, so I feel better if somebody is there to grab on to. I get scared of getting run over because I think I hear cars coming...

              It's kind of a joke now. I just announce, "Oh-going to the left! Going to the left!! Ahhhh!!"
              It's been happening for so long, it's just kind of normal now. I've never thought of how or why it happens, but my left side is my weak side, so I guess that makes that my body would kind of pull in that direction *shrug*
              Dx 11/09
              Aubagio since 09/15

              Comment


                #8
                Yes, I have for quite a while. Sometime it is to the left and sometimes to the rt.

                I call it being off balance and I have gotten worst. I am using my rollator more outdoors now.
                God Bless Us All

                Comment


                  #9
                  In addition to veering to one side or another as I walk, I often find myself leaning, usually to the left, when I am sitting. Does anyone else lean to one side or the other while they are sitting?

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                    #10
                    I always lean to the left when I am sitting and when I fall asleep in my recliner my head always falls to the left.
                    God Bless Us All

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I'm sorry you too lean REG53, but I'm selfishly glad I'm not the only one.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by DogMa View Post
                        In addition to veering to one side or another as I walk, I often find myself leaning, usually to the left, when I am sitting. Does anyone else lean to one side or the other while they are sitting?
                        I've leaned for years. Seemed that I noticed that I leaned to maintain my balance, and always to the right. Not so much when I was sitting and when I was walking. I didn't give it much thought

                        Over the years, the lean became quite pronounced, painful, and just plain weird looking. People would ask if I had a shoulder problem because I was leaning so much, it appeared that my shoulder was drooping. The pain increased and I did PT with no relief.

                        Long story short, it was caused by a 40 degree scoliotic curve that for a normal person would send one to the surgeon to fix, but surgery was not an option for me. I was fitted with a wonderful brace called the Aspen Peak Brace, and when I wear it, I do not lean, and when I don't lean, I have no spasm or pain.

                        Mention your lean to the your doctor and see what he/she has to say.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I have learned to walk backwards. I have flexor spasticity on my right leg, my good leg. which means my leg wants to draw up. it is difficult to get my heel on the ground. so walking backwards is path of least resisstance.

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