Proprioception — Our Hidden Sixth Sense

Description du cours

Proprioception is our hidden sixth sense—our body’s ability to sense its position, movement, and balance without looking. It relies on receptors in muscles, tendons, joints, and skin that send signals to the brain. This sense helps us walk, grab objects, and stay balanced. Students explore proprioception through hands-on activities: drawing with a mirror to challenge coordination, touch tests using monofilaments and two-point discrimination tools, vibration at the ankles to disrupt balance, and angle reproduction using virtual reality. These experiments reveal how proprioception supports everyday movement, athletic performance, and rehabilitation, and how it differs from other senses like vision and touch.

Biographie

Professor (Full) working with proprioception for 40 years