Why Vertigo Is Throwing Off Your Other Senses
Why Vertigo Is Throwing Off Your Other Senses
Understanding the hidden ripple effects of vestibular dysfunction
By Maxine Lamoureux, OMT, LMT, ART, CST
Avalon Wellness & Performance – Naples, FL
When most people think of vertigo, they picture spinning rooms, dizziness, and a loss of balance. But here’s the thing: your vestibular system (the balance center in your inner ear) doesn’t work in isolation. It’s the silent conductor coordinating many of your other senses — including vision, body awareness, hearing, and touch.
So when the vestibular system is off, it can set off a chain reaction that confuses your brain and body in surprising ways.
🧠 Your Vestibular System: The Hidden Integrator
Deep within the inner ear lies a network of semicircular canals and tiny sensors that constantly send messages to your brain about where your head is in space. This information is then integrated with input from your eyes, muscles and joints (proprioception), touch, and hearing to create a clear picture of your environment.
Dr. John Upledger, founder of CranioSacral Therapy, emphasized how the vestibular and craniosacral systems are closely intertwined, affecting not just physical balance but the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and the body’s overall sense of orientation. When vestibular input is disrupted, it can throw the entire sensory network off rhythm — much like a conductor losing their place mid-performance.
👁 1. Vision Starts Working Overtime
Normally, your vestibular system and your eyes act like synchronized dance partners. When you move your head, your vestibular system tells your eyes how to adjust so you can keep your gaze stable.
But with vestibular dysfunction, that communication breaks down. This can lead to:
Blurry or “jumpy” vision during movement (oscillopsia)
Difficulty focusing while walking or turning your head
Eye strain and headaches in busy environments like grocery stores
People often describe feeling “off” even if their eye exam comes back normal. That’s because the problem isn’t the eyes themselves — it’s how they’re working with the inner ear.
🦶 2. Body Awareness Gets Muddled
Your proprioceptive system (the sensors in your muscles and joints) also works closely with the vestibular system. Together, they give you a sense of where you are in space — even with your eyes closed.
When vestibular signals are unreliable, your brain leans heavily on proprioception to make sense of movement. This can lead to:
Feeling unsteady or “heavy-footed”
Trouble walking in the dark or on uneven terrain
Over-tightening muscles to compensate, causing aches and fatigue
Carol Stock Kranowitz, in her work on sensory integration, describes how children with vestibular challenges often appear clumsy or anxious in movement — not because they’re uncoordinated, but because their internal GPS is glitching.
👂 3. Hearing and Sound Perception Shift
The vestibular organs sit right next to the cochlea, your hearing organ. While vestibular dysfunction doesn’t necessarily cause hearing loss, it can affect how the brain processes sound in relation to space.
Common experiences include:
Sensitivity to loud or sudden sounds
Difficulty filtering background noise
Fullness, ringing, or pressure in the ears (often seen in vestibular migraine or Meniere’s disease)
This sensory “cross-talk” can be disorienting, making busy or noisy environments feel overwhelming.
✋ 4. Touch and Sensory Processing Become Heightened
When vestibular input is unclear, your brain tries to fill in the gaps by amplifying other sensory channels. This can lead to:
Feeling overstimulated in crowded spaces
Heightened sensitivity to touch or motion
A sense of imbalance even when standing still
Kranowitz’s sensory integration framework highlights how the vestibular system is foundational to organizing all sensory input. When that foundation is shaky, other senses often become hypersensitive to compensate — sometimes resulting in anxiety, fatigue, or avoidance behaviors.
🌿 A Holistic Path to Recovery
The good news is that the brain is adaptable. Through targeted vestibular rehabilitation, manual therapies like CranioSacral Therapy, and carefully chosen sensory exercises, the vestibular system can be retrained to work harmoniously again.
Dr. Upledger’s craniosacral approach focuses on restoring subtle rhythmic motions in the cranial bones and membranes, which can influence vestibular structures. Likewise, modern vestibular rehab uses specific head and eye movement exercises to recalibrate the brain’s sensory map.
At Avalon Wellness & Performance, we blend these approaches — addressing both the structural and neurological aspects — to help clients with vertigo, dizziness, TMJ dysfunction, and balance issues move confidently again.
📌 Key Takeaway
Your vestibular system is your body’s sensory anchor. When it’s off, your other senses don’t stop working — they work harder, often leading to fatigue, disorientation, or heightened sensitivity. By understanding this connection, you can take the first step toward restoring balance not just in your inner ear, but in your entire sensory world.
✨ References
Upledger, J.E. (1996). CranioSacral Therapy II: Beyond the Dura. Eastland Press.
Kranowitz, C.S. (1998). The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences. Perigee Books.
