Post-Treatment > Balance Issues

Balance Issues - an A.N overview

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tony:
There have been a few questions lately re balance and why is
it now so poor etc. So in laymans terms...
Basically the body has two balance nerves left and right
which are co-ordinated to work together by the brain.
They are located on/very near, the hearing nerves.
An A.N. located on or near here causes a disturbance
Any Operation or Radiotherapy near here can cause swelling
and further malfunction. NF2, Surgery, or Radiotherapy can completely
destroy the nerve.
Often one good nerve (only)  vs. one good and one not working well
- is often much better - a misfiring nerve (often) causes more problems.
 The Body can adjust to the total loss
- and operate on the one nerve
the brain now mixes the signals from the one nerve and what the eyes tell it
( a visual point of reference).
It follows that this does not work so well when its dark
- or if you are drunk ! (or low blood sugar/fluids or just tired)
Generally single nerve folk sense fatigue more - and have to take a simple
rest more often. (the extra work in the brain seems to cause this)
You can train the body to adjust quicker and better by exercising the
balance (in safe and controlled conditions)
The recovery time Post-OP etc is anything from a few days to 12mths
depending on the extent of the work involved.
There are NF2`s walking around with NO balance nerves at all (?????)
so it can be done...(no, I dont now how, either)
Finally a change of lifestyle means "no more ladders"
or anything where a sudden loss of balance might cause
further injury (I was heart broken...)
Topline - you can train/adapt yourself back to 95%
but the remaining 5% is best avoided
Hope this is useful
Best Regards
Tony

Kilroy1976:
Very good post! One thing that I would add:

There is a third balance mechanism that the brain can rely on, that being input from the muscles. As the muscles work against gravity, the brain can pick up which muscles are doing what and determine which way is down. This can explain why many people with vestibular nerve problems have difficulty riding in a car. In a car, the body is moving forward, back and side-to-side without action by the muscles, making the muscles much less valuable as a stabilizing influence.

Road Trip Dale:
Interesting synopsis Tony...I'm 3 months post op and have no balance problems whatsoever during daylight hours.  I can still bound up a ladder, I ride my bicycle every day, I can go on amusement park rides with less distress than the others around me.  But, I get downright whoosy when I go to the movies.  Entering and exiting the darkened theatre always has me hanging on to the side rails and walls until I get back to the lightened foyer than I'm okay again. 

Very informative Thanks

Road Trip Dale

Brendalu:
Very interesting!  I have not had it explained to me this way..  My surgery was 7/28/05, and my blance is still the pitts even with PT.  I had some more tests run and found out that I am reactive hypoglocsymic.  When it rains, it pours.  Any suggestions?

FlyersFan68:
This topic has always amazed me. We can function without both vestibular nerves since the eyes and muscles reflexes in our body can compensate for these losses but my guess would be that this would require extensive training and rehab. It's amazing how our body can learn to adjust. If I remember correctly...when I started watching dancing with the stars,  Kelly Monaco mentioned losing vestibular function while scuba diving and still went on to win the competition. Someone on this site (sorry I forget who) mentioned a neat website called BrainPort. BrainPort claims to be working on a device implanted in the tongue that could provide balance information to the brain thus restoring what was once considered gone. I believe they are looking for NF2 patients with 100% vestibular loss. This may also help the blind and completely deaf one day too. I had my right side vestibular severed during surgery and at first was very challenging. Two and a half years later I continue to do all the things I used to do such as climbing ladders, roller blading, all sports etc. etc.  It's been a while since Ive been on this site because it gets a little easier to forget as time goes by but I do have my second post surgery MRI later this month and I'm starting to think about it again. I hope everything is fine and the doctor tells me to wait like five more years for another. Sometimes I just don't want to know anything anymore. Take Care Everyone!
Steve D

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