17/01/2022
, often considered the āsixth sense,ā is your sense of body position and movement in space.
Itās your proprioception that allows you to move around freely without having conscious awareness of it. Ā
So, how exactly does it work?Ā
Your ability to sense where your body is in space results from sensory receptors in your body, mostly located in your muscles, skin, and joints. These receptors send signals to your nervous system and brain, telling them where your body is and what movements are happening. Your brain and nervous system then process this information, and you respond accordingly.
For many people, the sense of proprioception goes unrecognized for most of your life. Itās just one of the many wonders of the human body that works seamlessly without conscious thought.Ā
When issues arise with your sense of proprioception, however, life can become a lot more difficult.Ā
They can result from a range of conditions, including:Ā
Brain injury
ALS
Parkinsonās Disease
Huntingtonās Disease
Stroke..
When your proprioception system isnāt functioning optimally, your ability to recognize where your body is and how its moving is altered. Some symptoms of proprioception disorders include:
Balance issues, such as falling easily and not being able to stand on one foot.
Clumsiness, such as walking into things and dropping items.
Coordination issue such as the inability to walk in a straight line.
Fear of falling or losing balance, often resulting in avoidance of activities.
Inability to sense your own strength or weakness.
Poor posture and slouching.
On the surface, it may appear that issues with proprioception primarily impact your physical abilities. The truth, however, is that it has a wide-reaching effect on your entire system.Ā
We now understand that beyond sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch, there are two more senses that provide vital information for the mind and body -- proprioception and the vestibular system.Ā
Therefore, poorly functioning proprioception will impact all upstream processes having to do with behavior, learning, emotional regulation, language and auditory skills, eye-hand coordination, etc.