The inner ear is divided into three main parts. One part, the cochlea, is the hearing organ. The other two parts, the vestibule and the semi-circular canals, play a role in balance maintenance. The vestibule is a dome-shaped area between the cochlea and semi-circular canals. Its primary role is to let you know how much you are moving forward and backward. The semi-circular canals tell you where your head is in space and provides information relative to angular acceleration.
The ear works in conjunction with your vision, muscles, and sense of touch to help you to maintain your balance. Misleading information from any of these areas can cause a patient to be dizzy or unbalanced. Vestibular testing is designed to identify the weakest part or parts of the system so that correction can follow.