What diseases are known to cause walking problems?

Walking problems can happen because parts of your body that help you walk are not working properly. Some of these problems stem from diseases that affect the brain and nerves. For example, Parkinson’s disease may make your steps slow or shuffling. Multiple sclerosis can cause weakness and a stroke can weaken one side of your body so that walking becomes hard. Some people have problems due to an abnormal balance systems. This means that issues with the inner ear or brain can cause gait disturbances. Other causes include what we call functional gait disorders, where a person’s walking looks unusual even though tests may not find a clear problem. Even though these are only a few examples, they show that walking problems can have many roots. It is important to learn about these conditions so that doctors can find the best way to help with treatments or exercises to improve walking.