Proprioception
Proprioception is the sense of the position and movement of the body's parts. It enables coordination without requiring continuous visual monitoring.
Muscle spindle: A sensory receptor within skeletal muscle that detects muscle length and changes in length. Muscle spindles provide key signals about muscle stretch and limb position.
Somatosensation: The set of sensory systems that detect touch, temperature, pain, and body position. Proprioception is one component of this broader bodily sensory system.
Postural control: The regulation of body alignment and balance during standing, sitting, and movement. Proprioceptive feedback helps maintain posture when the body shifts or vision is limited.
Sensory ataxia: Uncoordinated movement caused by impaired sensory feedback, often including loss of proprioception. It demonstrates how movement becomes unstable when position feedback is unavailable.
Golgi tendon organ: A sensory receptor near a muscle–tendon junction that detects tension in the tendon. Its tension signals complement muscle-spindle information during movement.
Kinesthesia: The perception of movement in the body's joints and limbs. Kinesthesia is the movement-focused aspect of proprioceptive experience.
Motor control: The processes by which the nervous system plans and regulates movement. Proprioception supplies feedback that helps adjust ongoing movements.
Cerebellar ataxia: Uncoordinated movement caused by dysfunction of the cerebellum. Unlike sensory ataxia, it can persist despite intact proprioceptive input.
Joint capsule: A connective-tissue enclosure surrounding a synovial joint, containing receptors that respond to joint movement and position. Receptors in joint capsules contribute information about joint angles, especially near movement limits.
Body schema: The brain's continually updated representation of the body's size, shape, and position for action. Proprioceptive signals help keep this action-guiding body representation current.