How Does the Ear Help to Maintain Balance and Equilibrium of the Body?
The ear is one of the sensory organs that help us to hear. An interesting point to note is that the ear not only helps in hearing but also helps us to maintain the balance and equilibrium of our body. Without the ear, we would not be able to balance our body with respect to the gravitational pull of the earth.
To understand how the ear helps us to balance our body, we need to know about the structure of the ear.
Structure of the Ear
The ear is made up of three different parts -
- outer ear
- middle ear
- inner ear
The inner ear is the part that helps us to balance our body. The inner ear is involved in both the functions of hearing and balancing.
Structure of the Inner Ear
The inner ear is enclosed within the temporal bone of the skull.
The inner ear is made up of two small parts -
- cochlea
- semicircular canals
The cochlea is a coiled structure that resembles the shell of the snail.
The cochlea and the semicircular canals are connected by a structure called the vestibule.
The vestibule has two smaller structures called the saccule and the utricle.
How does the inner ear help to maintain balance and equilibrium?
Two structures of the inner ear help to maintain balance and equilibrium -
- the three semicircular canals that are interconnected and positioned at right angles to each other just like a gyroscope.
- the vestibule (has the saccule and utricle) that connects the semicircular canals to the cochlea
The semicircular canals and the vestibule of the inner ear together help to maintain the balance and equilibrium of the body.
How do the semicircular canals detect signals?
The semicircular canals are filled with a fluid called the endolymph. Each one of the semicircular canals has an enlarged cuplike structure called the cupula.The cupula has thin hair cells.
Whenever the head moves, the fluid in the canals move. When the fluid in the canals moves, the hair cells move in the direction of the fluid and generate signals that detect the changes in the position of the body.
How does the vestibule detect signals?
The utricle and the saccule inside the vestibule are lined by hair cells that help to detect linear acceleration or movement of the body in a straight line.
The utricle and saccule are covered by a jelly-like layer that has tiny calcium crystals. When the head tilts or changes in position with respect to gravity, the calcium crystals are displaced, and this displacement makes the hair cells bend and detect signals regarding the changes in the position of the body.
The signals that are detected by the hair cells of both the semicircular canals and the vestibule are converted into nerve impulses and sent to the brain through the vestibular nerve. The brain also receives signals from the visual and skeletal system of the body.
The brain coordinates all three signals from the inner ear, visual system and skeletal system to maintain balance and equilibrium of the body.
How does the inner ear help in hearing?
The cochlea of the inner ear helps in hearing. The cochlea is lined by tiny hair cells and is filled with fluid.
When the middle ear transfers vibrations to the cochlea, the fluid in the cochlea is displaced. This displacement of the fluid makes the hair cells move.
Signals from these cells are converted into nerve impulses and sent to the brain through the auditory nerve thereby helping in the process of hearing.
Diseases Caused by Abnormalities of the Inner Ear
Vertigo
Vertigo is characterized by a sense of dizziness and spinning when the person is perfectly still. Nausea and vomiting sometimes accompany it.
Vertigo can be a result of the following conditions -
- Labyrinthitis - a condition caused by infection or inflammation of the inner ear causing dizziness and loss of balance
- Vestibular Neuronitis - a condition caused by the inflammation of the vestibular nerve
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is characterized by a continuous ringing or buzzing noise in the ear when there are no ringing or buzzing sounds around. This condition is mainly caused due to damage to the hair cells in the cochlea region of the inner ear. Intake of certain medications can also cause Tinnitus.
Meniere's Disease -
Meniere's Disease is characterized by the ringing of ears, ear fullness, progressive hearing loss and poor equilibrium. This disease is caused when the semicircular canals do not function properly.
Perilymph Fistula
Perilymph Fistula is a condition caused when the fluid in the inner ear leaks into the middle ear. This can happen when there is a head injury or extreme physical exertion.
To Summarize
The inner ear is one of the organs that help to maintain the balance and equilibrium of the body. The semicircular canals and the vestibule are the two parts of the inner ear that are directly involved in helping the body to maintain balance and equilibrium.
References
http://nationaldizzyandbalancecenter.com/resources/balance-system/
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=21685
http://www.hearinglink.org/how-the-ear-works
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/harvard_womens_health_watch/2011/september/tinnitus-ringing-in-the-ears-and-what-to-do-about-it
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160900.php
Questions & Answers
- Helpful 10
Does the loss of hearing affect one's balance?
If the loss of hearing is due to the inner ear being affected by an external injury or any other illness, then one's equilibrium will be affected.
Helpful 10If the liquid in the semicircular canals of my ear is disturbed, could it be cured?
If the liquid in the semicircular canals is disturbed, it can be treated with specific balance exercises. Consult your doctor.
Helpful 10- Helpful 3
© 2014 Nithya Venkat
Comments
AUTHORshimmu thank you.
It was very hlelpful for me .....ur such a talented teacher.
Once again thank you . Hope u stay well!
Thank you
Thank you for I understood
Thanks for your good explanation,
Thanks very much
- AUTHOR
Thank you and am glad you understood.
Wow,
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Stay blessed
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Usefulll
Sir you mentioned tinnitus disease of inner ear. Sir there is any storage of sounds or any problem why we hear the sounds that actually doesn't exist at that time. Please help
- AUTHOR
GLADYS KRISHNA, am so happy that this article helped you in your studies. Thank you for writing in and letting me know, much appreciated.
This infromation is very good. Because of this I got first prize in semenar presentation. I had gained so many knowledge through this. Thank you .
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- AUTHOR
RachaelOhalloran oh my God that must have been terrible. Am glad that your balance is good and take care. Wishing you a very Happy New Year.
I was left deaf after an attacker stabbed me when I was in my 30's and I'm 67 now. My balance gets screwy with abrupt weather changes due to fluid build up in my ear canals. I take Antivert for the dizziness and use a ear pump to drain out the fluid. Other than that, balance is good. This is a very informative article and you did it justice.
- AUTHOR
teaches12345 thank you, glad you found my hub useful. Ear aches can be very painful specially from an ear infection.
I had ear aches as a child and know well the pain and imbalance from an inner ear infection. Your article is well written and very informative on how it all works for better balance. It is very useful to me.
- AUTHOR
Nell Rose thank you, hope your mum is okay now.
Hi, very interesting stuff, my mum used to have trouble with balance because of her ear, so this was fascinating!
- AUTHOR
itmesudiksha thank you for reading and leaving a comment.
tillsontitan thank you for reading and the many vote ups. Will read your hub about Meniere's Disease.
I too appreciate the information here. I suffer from Meniere's Disease (wrote a hub about it) and occasional tinnitus. Of course I knew it was an "inner ear thing" but reading your hub has given me a little more of an understanding.
Voted up, useful, and interesting.
very knowledgeable thank u for sharing with us.
- AUTHOR
AliciaC thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
This is useful information, Vellur. Thank you for sharing it.
- AUTHOR
CrisSP thank you, please do link my hub. Thanks for the vote ups and share. Much appreciated.
always exploring thank you, vertigo is scary suddenly the whole world starts spinning.
Your presentation is very good. Vertigo is not fun to have, I had it for a short time and was given antivert which helped. Thank you again...
Very well presented and easy to grasp. I am linking this to my hub "How To Remove Insect From Ear -First Aid." Say, yes please. :)
Thank you.
P.S. Voted up, useful plus sharing.
- AUTHOR
ChitrangadaSharan thank you for reading and the vote up, much appreciated.
billybuc thank you for your appreciation, you made my day!
What great information. Thank you for presenting it in a way even the layman can understand. Well done!
Very useful, educative and informative article about how balance is maintained through our ear!
I learnt a lot and you presented a well researched hub. Voted up and thanks!
- AUTHOR
DDE thank you and am glad you came to know more through my hub.
Informative and interesting. I knew of someone who had such issues. Balancing was his problem and something to do with the ear. You enlightened me on this these issues.
- AUTHOR
Thank you mindyjgirl for your visit and comments. Thank you for the vote up too.
Great Job! So many times I have wanted to know more about the inner ear. most of the time you just see articles about ear problems and not much of something like this, Thank you. Voted too :)
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