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Equilibrioception




Equilibrioception or '''sense of balance''' is one of the Physiological Sense s. It allows Human s and Animal s to Walk without falling. Some animals are better in this than humans, for example allowing a Cat (as a Quadruped using its Inner Ear and Tail ) to walk on a thin Fence . All forms of equilibrioception can be described as the detection of acceleration.

It is determined by the level of Fluid properly called Endolymph in the Labyrinth - a complex set of tubing in the inner Ear .

When the sense of balance is interrupted it causes dizziness, Disorientation and Nausea . Balance can be upset by Meniere's Disease , an Inner Ear Infection , by a bad Common Cold affecting the head or a number of other medical conditions. It can also be temporarily disturbed by rapid and vigorous movement, for example riding on a Merry-go-round .

Most Astronaut s find that their sense of balance is impaired when in orbit, because they are in a constant state of Free-fall while their rockets are off. This causes a form of Motion Sickness called Space Sickness .

Equilibrioception in many marine animals is done with an entirely different organ, the Statocyst , which detects the position of tiny calcareous stones to determine which way is "up".


TRAINING DEVICES



SEE ALSO