Balance
Balance: A biological system that enables us to know where our bodies are in the environment and to maintain a desired position. Normal balance depends on information from the inner ear, other senses (such as sight and touch) and muscle movement.
Our sense of balance is specifically regulated by a complex interaction between the following parts of the nervous system:
The inner ears (also called the labyrinth) monitor the directions of motion, such as turning or forward-backward, side-to-side, and up-and-down motions.
The eyes observe where the body is in space (i.e., upside down, right side up, etc.) and also the directions of motion.
Skin pressure receptors such as those located in the feet and seat sense what part of the body is down and touching the ground.
Muscle and joint sensory receptors report what parts of the body are moving.
The central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) processes all the bits of information from the four other systems to make some coordinated sense out of it all.
Read Also:
- Balanitis
Balanitis: Inflammation of the rounded head (the glans) of the penis. Inflammation of the foreskin is called posthitis. In the uncircumcised male, balanitis and posthitis generally occur together as balanoposthitis: inflammation of both the glans and foreskin.
- Balance, sense of
Balance, sense of: Our sense of balance is regulated by a complex interaction of the following parts of the nervous system: The inner ears (also called the labyrinth) monitor the directions of motion, such as turning or forward-backward, side-to-side, and up-and-down motions. The eyes observe where the body is in space (i.e., upside down, right […]
- Balanitis, circinate
Balanitis, circinate: A form of skin inflammation around the penis in males with Reiter’s syndrome. The skin around the shaft and tip (glans) penis can become inflamed and scale. This inflammation around the penis can be helped by cortisone creams (such as TOPICORT). Reiter’s syndrome is a systemic rheumatic disease, systemic since it can affect […]
- Balanoposthitis
Balanoposthitis: In the uncircumcised male, balanitis (inflammation of the glans, the rounded head of the penis) and posthitis (inflammation of the foreskin) usually occur together as balanoposthitis: inflammation of both the glans and foreskin. Circumcision prevents balanoposthitis. Without a foreskin, there can of course be no posthitis and hence no balanoposthitis. An uncircumcised boy should […]
- Balantidiasis
Balantidiasis: The disease caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Balantidium.