Balance issues

Patients sometimes tell us that they continue to have issues with balance after they go home.

This can be due to a number of things:

• muscle wasting and weakness
• changes in sensation (numbness or tingling) in the feet or legs
• inner ear problems from medication used in the ICU to treat infections
• loss of confidence when they first get home

At Guy's and St Thomas's there is a balance clinic and they will see patients with any of the following symptoms:

• Dizziness
• Imbalance
• Vertigo
• Eye movement disorders

Balance problems related to the ear if often more likely if you experience the following:

• your balance is worse in the dark (going to the toilet at night)
• your vision is ‘wobbly’ or unsteady while walking

Speak to your GP or doctor in the post ICU recovery clinic at Guy's and St Thomas's to assess whether referral to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist or to the balance clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas’ is required.