When the body goes off balance and falls down, the righting reflexes help the body to regain the upright position.
There are several righting reflexes, which include the:
(1) Head righting reflex. When the head is not in the upright position, the vestibular apparatus gets stimulated. It reflexly stimulates the appropriate muscles to bring the head back to the upright position.
(2) Body-on-head righting reflex. When the body is lying flat on the ground, one of its surfaces (the anterior or posterior, depending on whether the body is prone or supine) is in contact with the ground. This differential stimulation of one surface of the body provides the necessary cues for reflexly bringing the head back to the upright position.
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(3) Neck-on-body righting reflex. Righting of the head (through head righting reflex) while the body continues to be in the horizontal position results in the stretching of the neck and activation of the neck righting reflexes. The neck righting reflex stimulates the appropriate postural muscles to bring the whole body back to the upright position.
(4) Body-on-body righting reflex. When the body is lying flat on the ground, the differential stimulation of its anterior and posterior surfaces provides the necessary cues f bringing the body back to the erect position.