Energy Sources of the Kinesthetic & Vestibular Senses

Our senses are our personal version of a global positioning system -- they tell us where we are in our three-dimensional environment and are essential to our ability to move around in it safely and with confidence, according to the Free Info website. In short, our senses allow us to gauge where we are and how we are in terms of depth perception and height. There are three types of senses: electrical, chemical and positional. Kinesthetic and vestibular senses are positional senses that use different sources of energy with our vision, hearing and sense of touch to detect where we are in our environment.

Kinesthetic Senses

• Our senses allow us to perceive how close we can sit to a fireplace safely.

  Our kinesthetic senses use nerve endings in our muscles, tendons and joints to help us perceive the positions of our bodies and provide sensory input about where we are in our environment, according to the Body Restoration website. "Our kinesthetic sense helps us move with greater precision, avoid injuries and be fully present in the moment. ... The neural pathways in the brain give us an almost unconscious sense of the right sequence of muscle contractions that will cause our foot to take a step," according to the website.

Vestibular Senses

• Kinesthetic and vestibular senses help us perceive our positions when exercising.

  Our vestibular senses help us perceive balance, directions, height and speed using the sense organs in the inner ear, part of which is known as the vestibular system. They do this by using the semicircular canals that are located in your auditory system next to the cochlea in each ear. The semicircular canals contain fluid. This fluid moves with our movements and allows us to know when we are standing still, when we are moving, the speed at which we are doing it and whether we are moving backward or forward, according to Professor Dawn A. Tamarkin.

Energy Sources

• Pain receptors in our skin react to pressure during a doctor's examination.

  Kinesthetic and vestibular senses of vision, hearing and touch use forms of energy to transmit information about your environment to your brain. Your hearing detects the energy of sound as vibrations in the air. Ears are structured to funnel sound into the inner ear, where the vibrations activate neurons that send the information to your brain.

  Your vision uses light energy that enters your eyes through the cornea, then hits special cells that are activated by colors and white and black. These activate different cells that make up the optic nerve and send the images you perceive to the brain.

  Your sense of touch sends messages to your brain through receptors in the skin that are energized by pressure and temperature. When these factors become extreme, the nerve endings in your skin, known as pain receptors, transmit the messages, causing pain.

Sensory Problems

• Field sobriety tests reveal whether alcohol has affected kinesthetic and vestibular senses.

  Physical conditions can negatively affect the energy sources that activate the kinesthetic and vestibular senses. Infections of the inner ear, head injuries and upper respiratory infections can cause feelings of vertigo (loss of balance control), according to the Lifescript website.

  Alcohol consumption also can affect the senses. Field sobriety tests are used to determine whether a person's kinesthetic senses have been impaired by alcohol.