with Daniel Fechner Ear Studio

Balance is maintained by a complex combination of senses and information from the vestibular organ in the inner ear , the eyes , muscles , joints , and skin . These systems work together to keep your body standing , ensure your visual field is stable and maintain an upright posture .

Input from these systems is combined and processed by the brain . The brain then sends messages to the muscles in the body and the eyes to maintain posture and balance as well as keeping the visual field steady . This means that there needs to be constant communication between the ears , eyes , muscles , joints , and the brain to continuously detect , review and adjust the position of the body .

This system is so complex that developers of moving robots are still struggling to re-build this into technology . The inner ear contains the organ of hearing , called the cochlear , as well as the vestibular system . The vestibular system in simple terms is a sensory system which tells our brain information about motion , head position and spatial orientation and is essential for normal movement and balance .

The vestibular system is made up of five organs designed to send information about the position and movement of the head

to the brain . There are the three semicircular canals which indicate position and two tiny organs which can sense vertical and horizontal acceleration and deceleration . The canals are filled with fluid which stimulates tiny hairs when the head is moved so that messages are sent via the vestibular nerve to the brain .

There are also three reflexes in this system that are important for coordinating movements . These reflexes control eye-movement , the contraction of neck muscles as well as lower body muscles in a response to movement of the head .

The brain combines these components of the vestibular system with the information about gravity , rotation , and acceleration from the inner ear system , analyses the data and gets muscles to act accordingly . This is important to allow for postural and visual stability . Symptoms and disorders Dizziness and vertigo can be caused by an imbalance of signals in the vestibular system . These symptoms can also be caused by other factors such as medical conditions like low blood pressure , neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis , or anxiety disorders . Although , it is common that the cause of an individual ’ s dizziness stems from the inner ear , where balance is regulated .

When an individual experiences dizziness , many report that they feel unsteady , the world is spinning , they feel lightheaded or like they are

floating . Sometimes , this dizziness can be accompanied by vomiting , nausea , migraines , or fainting . However , these different sensations are important for clinicians to understand what kind of dizziness a person is experiencing . Testing for dizziness and imbalance Specialists , such as audiologists and physiotherapists , can assess an individual ’ s vestibular system . This is important to understand where the problem is coming from or rule out if there is any vestibular dysfunction . The vestibular system is a very complex system , and this is reflected in the testing that is needed to assess it . This involves a comprehensive assessment of the system as a whole and can take a few appointments to get all the results that are needed .

The first step is to always assess the hearing to understand how the ears may be contributing to the symptoms . It is important to then understand how the ears and eyes are working together through tests involving the visual system and your gaze .

Following this , the final part of testing the vestibular system is to assess the vestibular and neural pathways .

To learn more or book your appointment please visit www . earstudio . com . au and go to falls risk assessments or call us on 02 9159 6122 .

Ear Studio is located at Suite 9 / 60 Cecil Avenue , Lawton House in Castle Hill . Open : Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm , Saturday by appointment only .

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