The Anatomy of Balance

Your body has automatic systems for keeping its balance. To keep your body close to its natural center of balance, your eyes take in visual clues, your inner ears identify changes in head or body position and your muscles sense your body’s position in space. Using these three systems as balance aids, you can help prevent slips, trips and falls. Balance is maintained by three "feedback systems" - your eyes, ears, and muscles. These systems warn you when you start to fall off balance. Your center of balance, which is an imaginary line dropped down through your middle like a plumb line, is where you have maximum balance and are least likely to fall. Your eyes constantly identify hazards up ahead. Part of each inner ear identifies changes in head or body position. Your muscles sense your body’s position in space. Imbalance is likely if any part of the balance system - eyes, ears or muscles - is disturbed. Whenever your body’s "balancing act" is upset, a fall is likely. Sun glare, dense fog or dim lighting can obscure your visual feedback system. An interference with your ears’ function, such as having a head cold, can upset your balance. Carrying too much weight in one hand or reaching beyond your center of balance can throw of your muscular balance system and contribute to a fall.