Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

Living Edition
| Editors: Jeffrey Kreutzer, John DeLuca, Bruce Caplan

Proprioception

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_776-2
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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...

Keywords

Strength Training Joint Position Body Awareness Limb Position Stretch Receptor 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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References

  1. Brazis, P. W., Masdeu, J. C., & Biller, J. (Eds.). (2007). Localization in clinical neurology (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
  2. Connor, N., & Abbs, J. H. (1998). Orofacial proprioception: Analyses of cutaneous mechanoreceptor population properties using artificial neural networks. Journal of Communication Disorders, 31, 535–542.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  3. 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.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Kandal, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., & Jessell, T. M. (2000). Principles of neural science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
  5. Kranowitz, C. A. (2005). The out-of-sync child. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group.Google Scholar
  6. 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
  7. 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.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. 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.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentralGoogle Scholar
  9. Sherrington, C. S. (1907). On the proprioceptive system, especially in its reflex aspect. Brain, 29, 467–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Wolfe, U., Comee, J. A., & Sherman, B. S. (2007). Feeling darkness: A visually induced somatosensory illusion. Perception & Psychology, 69, 879–886.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Further Reading

  1. Kandal, E. R., Schwartz, J. H., & Jessell, T. M. (2000). Principles of neural science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.California State University, NorthridgeNorthridgeUSA