Vestibular Rehabilitation

The vestibular system is a main contributor to physical balance. Located in the inner ear, the system senses motion when small hairs, called cilia, are moved by microscopic calcium crystals. When we sit, stand, move, or experience motions (such as in a car) the crystals move the hairs. The brain receives the signals from the hairs, along with information from the eyes and your sense of touch to interpret motion, equilibrium, and orientation in space.

In order to understand how Vestibular Rehabilitation works and the underlying corrective mechanisms, it is important to remember that the primary role of the vestibular system is to tell the brain where the head is in space. Quite simply, the vestibular system is our internal reference telling the brain how our head is orientated - up, down, tilt, etc. The visual and somatosensory (touch, pressure, pain) systems, on the other hand, are external references, providing our brain with information about the movement and stability of the world around us. Working together and when the systems agree, it is the integration of these sensory modalities that provides us with normal equilibrium.