**4. Diagnosing patients with ataxia**

The history should provide information on the kind of ataxia or vestibular dysfunction, the body areas affected, any concomitant signs, and the underlying etiology. Neurologists will be able to anticipate the results of the physical examination with a high degree of accuracy if they take a thorough history. Any unexpected physical discoveries should be cause for rethinking the past.

Numerous concomitant signs and symptoms of ataxia may appear, allowing the neurologist to focus on the differential diagnosis. Postural problems in case of cerebellar ataxia can be assessed objectively and subjectively. An accurate assessment of clinical symptoms serves as the foundation for qualitative evaluations. Cerebellar ataxia is indicated by postural instability and a stumbling, jerky gait. Since instruction regarding gait and gait disorders is rarely given much attention in medical colleges, an accurate examination of clinical symptoms is frequently overlooked [68].

