Background Information: Dizzy Lab
Read the 2 articles that are given below and then write a paragraph (in your Background Information section in your composition book) with a topic sentence and at least 5 supporting details that address the topics of dizziness and balance. To help you write the paragraph, look at the questions below. If you can find the answers use them in your paragraph. Do not copy the sentences word for word. Put them in your own words.
- What in your body works together to help maintain balance?
- Describe the 3 types of sensory information helps a person to maintain balance.
- What is dizziness?
- What causes dizziness?
- Give an example how dizziness or motion sickness can occur.
Article #1 How Balance Works
Your brain, muscles, and bones work together to maintain your body’s balance and to keep you from falling, whether you’re walking, rising from a chair, or climbing stairs. They also let you navigate sloping or uneven surfaces.
Balance relies on three types of sensory information. The first of these is visual: Your eyes tell you about your environment and your place within it. They help you sense obstacles and potential dangers, and form motor memories that prevent falls. The second type of sensory information comes from your body’s internal sense of spatial orientation, independent of vision. This allows you, for example, to close your eyes and then wiggle your foot in any direction, while still knowing which way your foot is pointed. The third type of sensory information is provided by your inner ears, which contain fluid-filled semicircular canals. These canals provide your brain and eyes with crucial information on the position of your head and its movement in space with respect to gravity. (Common problems related to the workings of the inner ear include dizziness on escalators and sea-sickness.) When your sense of balance is in good working order, the three elements of balance work together automatically with your musculoskeletal system to keep you mobile and to prevent falls.
From: 2004 American Physical Therapy Association (
Article #2 What Is Dizziness?
Some people describe a balance problem by saying they feel dizzy, lightheaded, unsteady, or giddy. This feeling of imbalance or dysequilibrium, without a sensation of turning or spinning, is sometimes due to an inner ear problem.
The symptoms of motion sickness and dizziness appear when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the 3 sensory systems.
Suppose you are sitting in the back seat of a moving car reading a book. Your inner ears and skin receptors will detect the motion of your travel, but your eyes see only the pages of your book. You could become "car sick."
From: AmericanAcademy of Otolaryngology−Head and Neck Surgery (