Balance as a "Sixth Sense"

A healthy person usually takes his or her sense of balance for granted. Most people don't find it difficult to walk across a gravel driveway, transition from walking on the sidewalk to the grass, or get out of bed in the middle of the night without stumbling or feeling unsteady. The ability to balance depends on:

• correct sensory input from the vestibular system, vision, and proprioception
• integration of that sensory input
• motor output to the eyes and muscles

For additional information, see The Human Balance System: A Complex Coordination of Central and Peripheral Systems and VEDA's balance flow chart.