Why should peripheral neuropathy cause balance problems?
We have seen above that for the cerebellum to do its job it is essential to have all the necessary information from the central and peripheral nervous systems. Peripheral sensations originate from sensory organs in the skin, tendons and muscle which then travel within the peripheral nerves to the spine. A lot of this input reaches the cerebellum. By interrupting the input due to damage to the peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy) the cerebellum is deprived of vital information necessary to refine and control movement. The result is some loss of balance. Neurologists refer to this as sensory ataxia to distinguish it from cerebellar ataxia that results from primary cerebellar dysfunction. The degree of sensory ataxia will also depend on the severity of the neuropathy but also on the type of neuropathy. For example the neuropathy associated with deficiency of vitamin B12 is often associated with balance difficulties. In addition to peripheral nerve involvement this type of neuropathy
