Sea Legs, Disembarkment Syndrome or Mal de Debarquement Syndrome

Mal de Debarquement syndrome is the feeling of imbalance or dizziness after traveling by car, ship/boat, train, or airplane.

Experiencing movements that you are not exposed to in your normal, every day activities triggers Mal De Debarquement syndrome. Taking a cruise or boating is one of the most common causes.

For some, the illusion of movement seems to last for long periods of time; weeks, months, even years after the beginning of the symptoms. One explanation for the syndrome may be that the problem is not in the inner ear and most likely occurs someplace in the balance areas of the brain. The brain adapts to the motion of the ship or other vehicle; but once the movement stops, the brain is unable to re-adapt.

The term often used to describe this is, “sea legs.”

Symptoms include the sensations of bobbing, rocking, swaying, swinging, floating or tumbling. These may be accompanied by unsteadiness, disequilibrium, anxiety, difficulty concentrating.