Since a person has risen to his feet, he maintains an upright posture thanks to various sensory systems that send information to the brain about the environment and the position of the body in it. The vestibular apparatus is one of the main sources of providing the brain with such information.
Feeling of balance
Hidden in the inner ear is a special organ that constantly registers the position and movement of the human body, helping to maintain balance. How terrible the feeling of losing balance is known to everyone who has suffered seasickness or rode the carousel for too long. The world begins to stagger and spin, and nothing can be done - it remains only to lie down and wait until everything falls into place. The vestibular apparatus indicates how the body is oriented relative to the vector of gravity. Usually down. On a ship or a carousel - everything is different. This is how the vestibular apparatus is formed: the more pitchingor rotation, the greater the disorientation. Under such conditions, closing his eyes, a person cannot determine his position in space. Vision helps in this case.
How does the vestibular apparatus work?
The organ of balance is located at the top of the labyrinth of the inner ear. The vestibular apparatus is formed by the cochlea and two semicircular canals filled with fluid. During reeling, the liquid irritates the nerve endings and causes seasickness. The vestibular apparatus is formed by the vestibule of the inner ear deep in the temporal bone and consists of a system of cavities filled with viscous endolymph - semicircular canals, spherical and elliptical sacs. Their receptors are hair cells with sensitive cilia.
The vestibular apparatus is formed from semicircular canals, which are located in three mutually perpendicular planes. The cilia in them react to head movements - tilts and turns. This tells the brain about a potential imbalance. The hair cells of the sacs inform every moment about the position of the head relative to the vector of gravity, and therefore about the stability of the body as a whole.
Perception of head movements
The vestibular apparatus is formed from three jelly-like caps covering receptors, in this case, hair cells with cilia and immersed in a viscous fluid - endolymph. When the head moves, the endolymph flows from these caps and presses on them. Deforming, they displace the cilia, and this excites a nerve signal that is decodedbrain as a turn or tilt in some plane.
Perception of gravity
The vestibular apparatus is formed in such a way that the remaining groups of hair cells in it are covered with two mutually perpendicular jelly-like cushions, which are called maculae, with millions of calcium carbonate crystals (otoliths). At any moment, under the influence of gravity, at least one macula is deformed. This moves the cilia, triggering a nerve signal that tells the brain where the head is.
How does the balance organ work?
With sufficient loosening, the balance organ is subjected to oscillatory loads, from which a person loses balance and stability. Some get seasick on an airplane, others get sick while traveling by car. Its manifestation can be eliminated by the use of drugs. Interestingly, even in invertebrates, including jellyfish, the vestibular apparatus is formed. The answers to the question, in what form, are simple. Peculiar balance organs are auditory vesicles with granules that press on the cilia of hair cells. As the position of the body changes, this pressure changes, generating a signal that is perceived by the nervous system.
Until the sense of balance is lost, a person does not think about its nature, how the vestibular apparatus works, and this is one of the main factors of physical form. Resilience is vital in old age when joints wear out and increasefragility of the bones. Maintaining balance is the result of a joint action: the eyes, the vestibular apparatus and special receptors in the muscles and joints. With age, all these functions weaken, and reflexes slow down. In addition, the sense of balance is affected by age-related diseases, as well as the side effects of certain medications. As a result, after the age of 65, the risk of injury increases due to a weakened sense of balance.
Symptoms in diseases of the vestibular apparatus
- dizziness;
- vomit;
- nausea;
- changed complexion;
- impaired coordination and balance;
- profuse sweating.
Diseases caused by imbalance of the organ of balance
Diseases of the vestibular apparatus have similar symptoms, but different degrees of danger and complexity.
- Vestibular neuritis. One of the most common diseases that occurs as a result of infection. Symptoms are manifested: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, which last 3-4 days, after which they disappear, but the cure occurs only after a month. In older people, it can last a couple of months.
- Syndrome of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. Occurs in parallel with diseases of the cardiovascular system, often occurs after 60 years, may be the result of a stroke, hearing problems, vestibular nerve. In this case, nausea, vomiting, imbalance, poor coordination, incoherent speech, visual perception are possible. Usually the syndrome lasts for a short time, but if thesesymptoms appear frequently, hospitalization and a thorough examination of the body are necessary.
- Obstruction of the auditory artery. The peculiarity is that it appears along with problems with the blood supply to the brain, which leads to cerebellar stroke and heart attack. Severe dizziness, impaired coordination, deafness - these are signs of dangerous pathologies of the vestibular apparatus, in which you should urgently call an ambulance.
- Chronic vestibulopathy. Occurs against the background of drug intoxication. Symptoms are dizziness, nausea, weakening of stability.
- Manier's Syndrome is the most common inner ear disease. Symptoms - increasing dizziness, hearing loss, noise and congestion in the ear. Without treatment, it can lead to deafness.
- Ear diseases: otosclerosis, sulfuric plug, diseases of the auditory tube, acute otitis media. Basilar migraine, which is characterized by bouts of dizziness, motion sickness.
- Epilepsy with dizziness, nausea, impaired consciousness and hallucinations. Tumor of the cerebellopontine angle. With it, there is a decrease in hearing, coordination of movement. Multiple sclerosis. There is a special degree of dizziness and nausea. If symptoms of a disorder of the vestibular apparatus appear, a mandatory diagnosis by a doctor before starting treatment.
How to strengthen the organ of balance
The development of the vestibular apparatus begins in the prenatal period, when the baby sways in the mother's tummy. Therefore, the swaying of the baby in his arms has a soothing effect, therebygiving him a basic sense of balance. It helps the baby to take the first steps.
Then the child gets a good workout on a swing, trampoline or bike ride. Throughout his life, a person, actively moving, trains his organ of balance. Nevertheless, the fact that the vestibular apparatus is formed in such a way that it can be trained even in old age is valuable. Training of the vestibular apparatus is performed with any movement, since any activity requires good stability. That is why it is so important to perform balance-improving exercises at any age. Dancing is very useful, because they teach you to take care of your body, gymnastics in the form of yoga, Pilates, tai chi.
Exercises should be performed slowly, always near the support. Swimming lessons are very useful.
A set of exercises for training.
- Slow side bends - 5 times each.
- Rotation of the legs 10 times right and left with and without support.
- Stand in turns on one leg, starting with 8 seconds for each limb.
- Walking in one line 10 steps forward, then turning around in the opposite direction. Walking on tiptoe with hands above head.
- Balance, exercise with a fitness ball.
