Welcome back to another episode of Science of Slink! Today we are talking about a very important topic for furthering pole success, how to do spin pole without getting dizzy. Disclaimer: performance advice, NOT medical advice--if you're suffering from vertigo or dizziness talk to the other kind of doctor. We will discuss what the vestibular system is, things that can affect nausea, what is vestibular system adaption, and some drills that will help.

So what is the vestibular system? Your vestibular system controls your sense of movement & orientation. The body has loops of the inner ear (kind of like a level filled with "glitter", the otoliths) and Cilla (tiny hairs in the inner ear) that hold fluid, and when that fluid moves, those fluids inform your body of where it is in space. The vestibular system is also very closely connected to the visual system. More resources are attached below for more information on the visual system

Things that can affect dizziness, especially nausea include aging, (targeted exercises can help!) dehydration, hormonal disorders, especially low estrogen, duration & intensity such as adding plane of motion, and heat exhaustion or sensitivity

One way to improve dizziness is by practicing vestibular system adaptation. Some ways to practice this are getting better at interpreting & recovering from intense vestibular inputs and balance!

Some drills you can try as well are vision drills, head movement drills, some pole-specific gentle head movements at the start of practice that can help prepare you, spin drills, and start SLOW. Additionally, neuro performance is an increasingly active area of research (addressing sub-clinical problems)

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Join pole instructor & personal trainer Rosy Boa as she chats with experts about the evidence-based practices you can introduce to your pole journey to improve your pole journey and feel better. The Evidence-Based Pole Podcast aims to help pole dancers feel better on and off the pole by talking with experts and diving into relevant scientific research to find evidence-based insights we can apply to our pole journeys. It’s a production of Slink Through Strength, the inclusive, evidence-based online pole studio, which can be found online at slinkthroughstrength.com.

Edited by: Simone Rossette

Simone.rossette77@gmail.com

Sources:

• Clinic, Cleveland. “Vestibular System: Function & Anatomy.” Cleveland Clinic, 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/vestibular-system.

• Somisetty, Swathi, and Joe M Das. “Neuroanatomy, Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex.” PubMed, StatPearls Publishing, 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545297/.

• Jahn, Klaus. “The Aging Vestibular System: Dizziness and Imbalance in the Elderly.” Advances in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, vol. 82, 2019, pp. 143–149, www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/490283, https://doi.org/10.1159/000490283.

• Altın, Büşra, and Songül Aksoy. “Is Inadequate Water Intake a Risk Factor for Vestibular Disorders?” The Journal of International Advanced Otology, vol. 18, no. 3, 1 May 2022, pp. 264–268, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35608497/, https://doi.org/10.5152/iao.2022.21303.

• ‌El, Rhizlane, et al. “Vestibular Disorders and Hormonal Dysregulations: State of the Art and Clinical Perspectives.” Cells, vol. 12, no. 4, 18 Feb. 2023, pp. 656–656, https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12040656.