The Vestibular System

Articles

Nov 1

Many people are familiar with the five senses and ideas about how you are able to maintain balance in your body, but some may not remember the word “vestibular.” The vestibular system is what we think of when we refer to balance in your inner ear. Along with proprioceptive senses, the vestibular system is something that forms while a child is in utero. It is important to take a look into how the vestibular system works and how you can look for signs of problems with vestibular process. Therapy can be helpful for children experiencing vestibular processing issues although treatment is always based on an individual’s case.

What is the Vestibular System?

Similar to how we describe the inner ear and our sense of balance, the vestibular system is made up of fluid-filled sacs and canals within the ear. As we move and interact with our surroundings, the vestibular system begins to respond, measure, and send signals to our brain to understand movement. Moving your head’s position, moving in a certain direction, or experiencing gravity is processed with the vestibular system.

The development of the vestibular system is important because it is how we get used to motion. Because all of our interactions with our world are influenced by or translated through the vestibular system, it is easy to see how much it could have an affect on our lives. Through the vestibular system, we develop our ability to walk and run, to look with our eyes, to maintain posture, or to ride a bike.

How Does the Vestibular System Interact with Other Body Systems?

Using the vestibular system’s signals, we are able to make decisions to direct our body in different ways. For instance, maintaining the back and forth of swinging on a swing is using the vestibular system to keep our back and head upright, while leaning forward and backward to move the swing. Our vestibular system is helping us understand where to keep our head, how to extend our legs, and how to use our core strength to swing.

Our visual attention is also affected and connected to the vestibular system. The ability to focus our vision on something, scan, or read can be impacted by our vestibular development because it is neurologically connected to different brain functions.

The ability to change orientation, maintain balance, and adapt the body to respond to this change in the best way is how our vestibular system interacts with our body. A healthy vestibular system allows us to understand our own movement and have a confidence in our control of our body and feel coordinated. As the vestibular system becomes unhealthy, problems with balance and coordination can occur.

Children’s Vestibular System

As a critical time to develop the vestibular system, childhood is the time to take a look at how this system is functioning. Other than typical development, the range of development can vary from hyper sensitive to hypo sensitive in their response. Some kids who are processing their vestibular function with hyper sensitivity may seem fearful of too much movement, because they feel uneasy or unsteady in their ability to control their movement. It might present itself in overly cautious movement or an inability to stay upright. When kids on the other side of the coin experience trouble processing vestibular input, they might never stop moving or become very clumsy but unaware. With the neurological connections, it can also have an effect on your child’s emotional state and their ability to process altogether.

Problems with Vestibular Processing

With the ranging levels of vestibular development, parents might see their child be both overly cautious at times and somewhat unknowingly clumsy at the same time. It can be difficult to know the difference between normal development and behavior that might point to problems with vestibular processing. Indications that these issues might be present could show up in things like a child’s display of sequencing skills and bilateral coordination. They may also exhibit a heightened emotional response to stressful situations. Early in life, babies may have a preference or aversion to a certain position, such as laying on their back or stomach.

Treatment for Vestibular Processing Issues

Depending on the individual, sometimes therapy can intervene to help children develop their vestibular system. Generally, helping the vestibular system encounter and adapt to different positions and movement will help a child gain more coordination and feel more confident in their movement. Occupational therapists work with kids to develop these process through play. Different activities can help encourage the movement or function to work on things like visual stabilization, movement of the head and body position, and changes to posture. There are so many fun ways to engage the vestibular system and help develop coordination through play. Simply playing on the playground swings or slide, creating obstacle courses, playing catch together, hopscotch, running down a hill, and so much more can be fun while also aiding in your child’s development.

Are you concerned about your child’s vestibular development? Learn more about how this system works from some of our resources or get in touch with your healthcare professional to gain insight for your individual needs. If occupational therapy is right for your child, get in contact with Tilton’s Therapy for Tots! Our team provides therapeutic intervention in the natural environment of your child, so it makes it easier to incorporate helpful activities and exercises in your daily life. Take the first step and register a new patient or reach out to ask us a question!