{"id":798,"date":"2022-01-21T15:30:58","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T23:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/?p=798"},"modified":"2022-01-21T15:31:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T23:31:00","slug":"balance-hearing-whats-the-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/balance-hearing-whats-the-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Balance &#038; Hearing: What\u2019s the Connection?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you\u2019ve been diagnosed with hearing loss and are having trouble with your balance, you\u2019re not alone. The auditory and vestibular systems are closely connected, so it\u2019s common to experience both hearing loss and a balance disorder if you have damage to the inner ear. Below we review this connection further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Vestibular System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing-1280x853.jpg\" alt=\"Close up of a doctor doing a medical exam on his patient\" class=\"wp-image-800\" width=\"269\" height=\"179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/ear-exam-hearing-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The vestibular system within the inner ear consists of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>The semicircular canals, <\/strong>which are filled with fluid. The fluid moves as your head does, bending cells that send signals to your brain about your head position.<\/li><li><strong>The utricle and saccule, <\/strong>which are otolith organs that contain tiny stones called otoconia. These stones move in response to gravity so your brain knows if you\u2019re standing up, sitting back or lying down.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Auditory System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The inner ear also contains the cochlea, which is a snail-shaped organ with tiny sensory hair cells inside. These cells convert soundwaves into electrical energy that the brain interprets as sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Link<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Both the vestibular system and the auditory system rely on the vestibulocochlear nerve to send signals to the brain. This is why if there\u2019s damage to the nerve or any part of the inner ear, you\u2019re likely to experience both hearing and balance problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vestibular Testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many tests your audiologist may conduct in order to diagnose a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4069154\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">balance disorder<\/a>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Electronystagmography (ENT).<\/li><li>Videonystagmography (VNG).<\/li><li>Rotation tests.<\/li><li>Video head impulse testing (VHIT).<\/li><li>Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP).<\/li><li>Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Your audiologist will also take a thorough medical and family history in order to diagnose your balance disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common Balance Disorders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many balance disorders are also associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/hearing-loss-overview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing loss<\/a> and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).<\/li><li>Labyrinthitis.<\/li><li>Vestibular neuronitis.<\/li><li>Perilymph fistula.<\/li><li>Mal de Debarquement syndrome (MdDS).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to Seek Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you experience any of the following symptoms and they\u2019re interfering with your quality of life and ability to take your dog to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jaxdogs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dog Wood Park<\/a>, schedule an appointment with a balance expert:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Dizziness.<\/li><li>Vertigo.<\/li><li>Feeling unsteady on your feet.<\/li><li>Falling.<\/li><li>Lightheadedness.<\/li><li>Faintness.<\/li><li>Floating sensation.<\/li><li>Blurred vision.<\/li><li>Confusion.<\/li><li>Disorientation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information or <a href=\"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/our-location\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to schedule an appointment<\/a> with a balance expert, call <span class=\"company-name \">The McCoy Institute<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/how-an-ear-infection-can-upset-your-balance\/\" class=\"related-post\">How an Ear Infection Can Upset Your Balance<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/how-to-prevent-a-fall-if-you-have-a-balance-disorder\/\" class=\"related-post\">How to Prevent a Fall if You Have a Balance Disorder<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve been diagnosed with hearing loss and are having trouble with your balance, you\u2019re not alone. The auditory and vestibular systems are closely connected, so it\u2019s common to experience both hearing loss and a balance disorder if you have damage to the inner ear. Below we review this connection further. The Vestibular System The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"If you\u2019ve been diagnosed with hearing loss and are having trouble with your balance, you\u2019re not alone.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"categories":[13,11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=798"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":802,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/798\/revisions\/802"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mccoyinstitute.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}