If you think your ears are just for hearing, it might surprise you to know that they aid in balance as well. Several structures in the inner ear, together called the vestibular system, send messages to the brain that help you orient to your surroundings and aid in balance.
“We know that falls impact our seniors,” says Geoff Fraser, partner of Clear Choice Health Care. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults, according to the National Council on Aging. Here are a few tips about how the body maintains balance, and what happens when these systems don’t function properly.
Our inner ears contain three fluid-filled tubes called “semicircular canals,” says Paul DiZio, a neuroscientist at Brandeis University who studies balance, motion, and dizziness. Because they each have a different axis of motion, they detect three movements: left, right, up, down and side to side.
“When your head moves, the fluid inside the tubes flows around a bit,” reports DiZio online at Live Science. “And then you’ve got these sensors — sensors that are like little pieces of seaweed inside the tubes — that kind of float with the fluid and sense what’s going on.”
Your head movement dictates which canal activates. A nod of yes, a headshake no, or an ear-to-shoulder movement creates a chain reaction that triggers all the necessary structures to operate normally within the vestibular system.
This coordination relies on and interacts with our eyes, our somatosensory system – our sense of touch, and our proprioception sensors within our joints. When all systems integrate correctly, we have normal balance. However, conflicting messages can be sent, and their harmony could stop.
For example: If you’ve ever sat at a stop sign in your car, and looked out the window and suddenly felt like your car was moving when it wasn’t, blame this on the eyes. Because maybe what you saw was another car moving, this made you feel like your car was moving in the opposite direction.
Your eyes contradicted your body’s sensory receptors. And the somatosensory system didn’t receive messages of gravity and vibrations to alert us that we were moving, but our eyes tricked our vestibular system.
Sometimes imbalance is due to inconsistent messages. For example, a spinning amusement part ride will cause the inner ear to tell you correctly that you are turning. The eyes agree because they see the landscape is moving as well. Proprioception sensors in our joints say you’re spinning. All systems agree, until you abruptly stop.
Your inner ear tells you that you’re still moving. The eyes say that you’re not moving and give conflicting information to the brain. As you try to stand still, you stagger and leave your proprioception testing solid ground.
After prolonged spinning, the inner ear is reflexively driving the eyes in a way that’s going to disrupt vision. It will make your eyes track with the supposed turning; your eyes will rapidly move side-to-side. Confusing your brain, and your proprioception can’t figure it out. So, you grab something for stability or succumb to a fall.
The spinning sensation after a amusement park ride and moments in a car are normal reactions. Abnormal happens when the vestibular system is besieged by a common vestibular problem known as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
Of all falls suffered by the older adults, 50 percent are a result of BPPV. At any time, your balance system can be derailed. One tiny ear crystal that comes loose and rolls, much like a coffee bean in syrup, can cause intense vertigo when the crystal excites the inner ear canal, telling your brain that you are moving when you are not.
Loss of balance, for some, could start with a simple sinus infection. Or a cold or flu could impact the inner ear. For others, a fall or car accident could cause an inner ear disorder. There are many reasons why the inner ear gets blamed for falls.
“The good news is, most balance disorders can be cured or at least improved,” writes Dr. William Wright, a neurotologist and vertigo specialist in his book “Dizziness and Vertigo: A simple guide to figuring it out.” “In general, the worse the dizziness, the better the chance for improvement,” says Dr. Wright.
“The good news is, there’s help for vertigo,” says Geoff Fraser. “A physical therapist with training and certification in vestibular dysfunctions can provide care and solutions.”
There are many ways to treat balance problems and 80 to 90 percent of patients can solve their vertigo with balance retraining exercises.
If you fear that dizzy spells are starting to limit your outings or if you’re experiencing one or more falls per month, Fraser advised to consult with a doctor. “Ask if therapy can put you on the right track,” says Fraser
