Difference Between Kinesthesia and Vestibular Sense

The key difference between kinesthesia and vestibular sense is that kinesthesia is the sense that allows us to feel the motion of the body, especially the motion of a joint or limb. Meanwhile, vestibular sense is the sense that is involved in body positions and movements of the head.

Central nervous system is responsible for responding to many sensations and stimuli. Body movements and balance of the body are important aspects in physiology. Kinesthesia and vestibular sense are two phenomena that play a key role in maintaining movement, balance and posture.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Kinesthesia 
3. What is Vestibular Sense
4. Similarities Between Kinesthesia and Vestibular Sense
5. Side by Side Comparison – Kinesthesia vs Vestibular Sense in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Kinesthesia?

Kinesthesia is a type of sense or perception. It is the perception that facilitates body movements and body position. The changes in body position and movements can be detected without relying on the five senses. And, this phenomenon is also called kinesthesis. Further, this sense or perception is in use when a person walks, runs, drives, dances, swims or during any other body movement.

The whole nervous system is involved in the process of kinesthesia; here, the brain, spinal cord and the nerves take part in the transmission of the nerve impulses.

Due to the perception of kinesthesia, one can predict the location of different parts of your body without the use of eyes. Thus, kinesthesia focuses more on internal perceptions than external stimuli. Therefore,  when you need to perform a complex physical action, the sense of kinesthesia or kinesthesis allows you to prepare the body for the movement.

What is Vestibular Sense?

Vestibular sense is a type of sense that takes part in maintaining body balance. Also, this helps in maintaining the body posture of an individual. Furthermore, gravitation and movement are two phenomena that play an important role in vestibular sensing. The main organ involved in the process of vestibular sense is the inner ear or the vestibule. Thus, it gets the name vestibular sense. The movement of the two vestibular sacs generate sensations during gravity and movement.

The signals generated are taken by the auditory nerve to the brain, followed by the recognition of the sensation. The semi-circular canals sense the rotatory movement of the body, which further contributes to the maintenance of body balance.

Excessive stimulation of nerve endings in the vestibular sacs and the semi-circular canals may lead to conditions such as motion sickness, and other conditions of body imbalances. One may undergo symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting and black outs in such situations.

What are the Similarities Between Kinesthesia and Vestibular Sense?

• Kinesthesia and vestibular sense are important sensations in maintaining body structure, posture and balance.
• Whole central nervous system is involved with both processes.

What is the Difference Between Kinesthesia and Vestibular Sense?

The key difference between kinesthesia and vestibular sense is the two types of perceptions each brings about. Kinesthesia is the process that maintains the sense of the presence of body parts involved in locomotion. In contrast, the vestibular sense is the sense that is involved in the maintenance of balance in body posture.

The below infographic summarizes the difference between kinesthesia and vestibular sense.

Summary – Kinesthesia vs Vestibular Sense

Kinesthesia and vestibular sense are two phenomena associated with the central nervous system. Kinesthesia is the sense of the perception of locomotory body parts in the body. Thus, this sensation does not involve sensory organs. Meanwhile, the vestibular sense is the sense that deals with body balance and posture. Therefore, the inner ear is involved in the generation of the vestibular senses. However, there is no special organ involved in kinesthesia. So, this is the summary of the difference between kinesthesia and vestibular sense.

Reference:

1. “The Vestibular Senses.” Cliffs Notes, Available here.
2. Cherry, Kendra. “How Is Kinesthesis Different From Other Learning Styles?” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 23 June 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1608 Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex-02” By OpenStax College – Anatomy & Physiology, Connexions Web site, Jun 19, 2013. (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia