Balance Disorders

When you think about balance, the role that ears play might not come to mind. But ears are crucial to maintaining balance thanks to their vestibulocochlear nerve. This nerve sends signals to the brain that control hearing (auditory function) and help with balance (vestibular function).

But the ears aren't the only organs that help us balance. Ears, eyes, joints, and muscles work together to keep us steady and upright. When one or more of these systems is out of whack, it can be hard to get around and just function, day to day. The simplest things — like walking, riding a bike, succeeding in school, even playing — can become difficult and frustrating.

Balance disorders are considered uncommon in kids but might be underestimated — kids' symptoms could be misdiagnosed as something else or missed altogether. But resolving kids' balance problems can make a big improvement in their overall quality of life — their ability to play, learn, and feel as happy and healthy as possible.

How Balance Works
To understand balance problems, it's important to understand how balance works normally. Basically, the body relies on three separate systems, each sending nerve impulses to the brain:

In the neck, torso, leg joints, and feet are pressure sensors that send information to the brain about where the body is in relation to the world (known as proprioception). Messages are sent when we do things like turn our heads, move, and walk on different surfaces.
In the front of the inner ear, or labyrinth, are the cochlea, involved in hearing; in the rear are semicircular canals, which affect balance. Connecting them is the vestibule (with sensory organs known as the utricle and saccule), which affects balance and equilibrium. When we turn our heads rapidly, the liquid in the semicircular canals moves the tiny hairs lining the cochlea, sending a message (through the vestibulocochlear nerve) to the brain about the movement. In less than a second, the brain sends messages to the muscles needed to maintain balance and help the eyes stay focused.
In the eyes, the nerve endings in the retina (at the back of the eye) have light-sensitive cells called rods and cones. When we look at something, light hits the retina, and the rods and cones send electrical signals to the brain through the optic nerve. The brain uses these signals to interpret what we're seeing and create visual images. Each eye gets slightly different images of (and information about) the same object, which aids depth perception (how far away an object is) and is vital to maintaining balance.
If any of these systems isn't working right, it can affect balance.