A blind patient reports being unable to maintain balance adequately enough to wa

Question

A blind patient reports being unable to maintain balance adequately enough to walk across a room. the patient has no history of motor deficits, but is currently being treated for a serious ear infection. While the infection is responding to treatment, there is still considerable inflammation. the patient is reassured that once the ear infection subsides, balance should also return to normal. What is the source of the above blind patient's balance problems, and how is the patient's blindness relevant to the recently developed motor problems?

Explanation / Answer

Static equilibrium & vestibular apparatus:

Vestibular apparatus are containing special sensory apparatus to maintain static equilibrium. They are utricle, saccule with a muclae that have potential mechanoreceptors to process “head and body posture stability with central nervous system”. The process of equilibrium is through vestibular verve finally to the brain for interpretation of sensory information.

Cerebellum is main motor area where sensory information processed so that “body balance” is maintained with adequate motor activity. In the above case, patient have been suffering from blindness, & the same patient “has infected & impaired vestibular function” due to ear infection so that “equilibrium” will be damaged.

The activity of cerebellum is appropriate only when the two components functions normally out of the vestibularapparatus, proprioceptive aspects, and visual functions working together simultaneously after sensory perception

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.