The inner ear is not the only source of information to help you balance. You also receive information from:
The eyes - you can see which way up you are, whether you are moving and in which direction.
The soles of your feet (if you are standing) or the seat of your pants (if you are sitting down). You can feel where you are.
All of your joints and muscles - including the joints in your neck, back, legs, feet, arms and hands - have sense-organs in them which send signals up the nerves and spine, telling the brain what position they are in. You don't need to look to see whether your arms are outstretched or by your side - they tell you where they are. This position-sense is known as proprioception. Proprioception is reduced in various medical conditions including arthritis and diabetes. The information comimg from the eyes, skin, muscle and joints is integrated with the information coming from the inner ears and processed in the brain.
If there is plenty of information coming from the eyes, skin and joints, you do not really need to rely on information from the inner ear to help you balance.
If the information coming from the other sources is reduced, lost or confused - for example in the dark, on soft or uneven ground - your brain has to rely more on the information coming from the inner ears.
This is why your balance will be worse in the dark, on soft or uneven ground, if you have a problem with your inner
The eyes - you can see which way up you are, whether you are moving and in which direction.
The soles of your feet (if you are standing) or the seat of your pants (if you are sitting down). You can feel where you are.
All of your joints and muscles - including the joints in your neck, back, legs, feet, arms and hands - have sense-organs in them which send signals up the nerves and spine, telling the brain what position they are in. You don't need to look to see whether your arms are outstretched or by your side - they tell you where they are. This position-sense is known as proprioception. Proprioception is reduced in various medical conditions including arthritis and diabetes. The information comimg from the eyes, skin, muscle and joints is integrated with the information coming from the inner ears and processed in the brain.
If there is plenty of information coming from the eyes, skin and joints, you do not really need to rely on information from the inner ear to help you balance.
If the information coming from the other sources is reduced, lost or confused - for example in the dark, on soft or uneven ground - your brain has to rely more on the information coming from the inner ears.
This is why your balance will be worse in the dark, on soft or uneven ground, if you have a problem with your inner
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