Examination of the organ of equilibrium

There are various tests to control the organ of equilibrium. For experimental testing of the vestibular organ, the ear is rinsed with warm and cold water in each case. The patient lies on his back with his head slightly raised.

The eyes should be closed to avoid orientation in the room.Irrigation with warm or cold water causes movement of the endolymph in the vestibular organ. A feeling of dizziness as well as a lateral twitching of the eyes (nystagmus) is triggered. If the vestibular organ is not restricted in its function, the eye moves towards the irritated ear during warm water irrigation, and in the opposite direction during cold water irrigation.

Deviations from these physiological movements indicate various disorders in the inner ear.

In the Romberg experiment, the patient stands in the room with closed eyes and horizontally extended arms. The examiner assesses the patient’s secure stand and inclination to fall.
In the Unterberger pedaling test, the patient must also walk on the spot. Here too, the inclination to fall backwards or sideways is assessed.

How can you train your sense of balance?

Compared to our other senses, the sense of balance can be trained very well. The best example of this is given by children in the course of their development. While they fall down again and again on their first attempts at walking, they manage to develop a safe gait at some point.

The reason for this is constant practice and trial and error. This ability to improve our sense of balance remains throughout our lives. The sense of balance consists of three components.

These include the organ of balance in the inner ear, the visual influences of the eyes and the proprioceptors of our joints. In order to train the sense of balance, these three systems must be challenged against each other. Most of the exercises can be performed while standing.

For example, you can try to stand on one leg without tipping over. The body has to adapt to the new conditions by shifting weight on one leg. This is done by minimal changes in the ankle joint or by balancing movements with the arms.

The exercises can be varied and modified according to your own ability. You can bend your upper body forward, bend your knees or circle with your arms. It is also possible to close your eyes.

This eliminates the feedback of our eyes, where exactly we are in the room. This makes it more difficult for the body to keep its balance. Another example would be balancing on walls, curbs or ropes. Basically the motto “Practice makes perfect” applies. The more often you bring your body into new positions and thereby provoke its sense of balance, the better and faster it can cope with these new situations through newly learned movement sequences.