Semicircular canals

Each ear contains three semicircular canals: anterior, posterior, and horizontal canals. Each of these canals provides a separate sense of directional balance, and each canal on the left is always paired with a canal on the right for normal function. The anterior canal detects forward and back head movement, like nodding. The posterior canal detects head tilt like tipping the head toward the shoulders. The horizontal canal detects horizontal movement of the head, such as swiveling the head side to side. A parent of a deaf child might encounter the term “semicircular canals” when discussing the potential impact of their child’s deafness on their sense of balance and spatial awareness.