Synonyms
Joint position sense; Kinesthesia
Short Description or Definition
The word proprioception has its origins in the Latin word propius meaning “one’s own” (Brazis 2002). The second part of the word comes from perception; thus proprioception is the perception of one’s own body. It refers to the representation of the changing configuration of the body through sensory signals generated in the muscles, joints, and skin by the body’s own movements (Kandal et al. 2000).
The proprioceptive sense refers to sensory input and feedback that informs the brain about the movement of one’s limbs and the state of one’s muscles. This ability is crucial for motor control and non-visually guided movements (Wolfe et al. 2007). The three main purposes of proprioception are to control force by grading muscle contractions, allow the limbs to move in sequence with each other (e.g., walking), and maintain upright posture.
The proprioceptive sense is made up of two distinct types of input: kinesthesia and...
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References
Brazis, P. W., Masdeu, J. C., & Biller, J. (Eds.). (2007). Localization in clinical neurology (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
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Grob, K. R., Kuster, M. S., Higgins, S. A., Lloyd, D. G., & Yata, H. (2002). Lack of correlation between different measurements of proprioception in the knee. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 84-B, 614–619.
Kandal, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., & Jessell, T. M. (2000). Principles of neural science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Kranowitz, C. A. (2005). The out-of-sync child. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group.
Lephart, S., & Borsa, P. (2009). Proprioception: The sensations of joint motion and position. In Encyclopedia of sports medicine and science. Retrieved Aug 2008, from http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/crafts/Proprioception.doc
Mercier, C., Aballea, A., Vargas, C. D., Paillard, J., & Sirigu, A. (2008). Vision without proprioception modulates cortico-spinal excitability during hand motor imagery. Cerebral Cortex, 18, 272–277.
Salles, J. I., Velasques, B., Cossich, V., Nicoliche, E., Ribeiro, P., Amaral, M. V., & Motta, G. (2015). Strength training and shoulder proprioception. Journal of Athletic Training, 50, 277–280.
Sherrington, C. S. (1907). On the proprioceptive system, especially in its reflex aspect. Brain, 29, 467–485.
Wolfe, U., Comee, J. A., & Sherman, B. S. (2007). Feeling darkness: A visually induced somatosensory illusion. Perception & Psychology, 69, 879–886.
Further Reading
Kandal, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., & Jessell, T. M. (2000). Principles of neural science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
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Todd, T.A. (2018). Proprioception. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_776
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