An important component of human life is proprioceptive sensitivity, which allows a person to perceive changes in the position of individual parts of the body at rest and during movement in space and relative to each other. The development of muscle sensitivity occupies an important place in preparing athletes for the upcoming competitions and during the recovery period after serious injuries.
To evaluate the performance of proprioceptors, it is necessary to conduct a study using a minimum amount of inventory.
What is sensitivity?
Before figuring out what proprioceptive sensitivity is, you must first give an interpretation of the term "sensitivity".
Sensitivity is the ability of a living object (human or animal) to respond to a specific effect coming from the environment. It gives a person the opportunity to fully respond to stimuli and fully implement the processes of life.
What is proprioceptive sensitivity?
Proprioception, or muscle feeling, is a sensation of the position of individual parts of one’s own body relative to each other at rest or in movement in animals and humans. A healthy person who does not have deviations in the functioning of the muscular system, in a conscious state, can feel the position of individual parts of his body. With disorders of muscle sensation, serious diseases arise, such as sensitive ataxia, pseudo-aethetosis. In rare cases, loss of movement is possible.
Detailed description
Proprioceptive sensations are provided due to the work of the organs of muscle sensitivity and, in particular, muscles. From them, information enters the central nervous system nuclei through large nerve fibers. After that, information is transmitted through the thalamus to the parietal lobe of the brain of a person or animal, where the formation of a body scheme subsequently occurs.
Violation of proprioceptive sensitivity can lead to loss of movement. In exceptional cases, respiratory arrest and, as a result, death may occur.
Ways of unconscious proprioceptive sensitivity:
- Govers path, or anterior spinal cord;
- posterior spinal cord.
The anatomy of muscle sensitivity has its own characteristics. The first neurons of the path of conscious proprioceptive sensitivity lie in the spinal ganglion. From the lower ganglia come the fibers that form the Gaulle beam, from the upper - the fibers that form the Burdach beam. The axons of the first neurons pass into the posterior cords, after which they ascend and end in the medulla oblongata.
The bodies of the second neurons that cross, then cross the bridge and end at the nuclei of the thalamus of the lateral type, are located in nucll.gracilis et cuneatus.
In the lateral nuclei of the thalamus, there are third neurons, the neurites of which move in in postcentral gyrus.
Types of Muscle Senses
In a normal state, a person can feel the position of the body and limbs, movements and strength due to the presence of proprioceptive sensitivity. Feeling of strength is the ability to evaluate muscle effort, which is necessary for movement and for keeping the joints in one position for a long time.
The sense of movement is information about the direction, as well as the speed of movement of the joints. In turn, a sense of position is the ability to sense the angle of each joint individually. Together, this feeling makes it possible to assess the position and posture of your body.
Receptors
Proprioceptive sensitivity is due to the work of special proprioceptors (or proprioreceptors). These include free nerve endings, muscle spindles, Golgi bodies located in the tendons, as well as Pachinium bodies, which are located in the muscles, tendons and fascia.
The signals from them move to the brain of a person or animal and give comprehensive information about the position of the joints, each individually and in the aggregate, and muscles.
Proprioceptors are located in the muscles, ligaments, skin, and joint bags. They are a type of mechanoreceptors.
Muscle Sensitivity Examination
There is a study with which you can assess the state of muscle sensitivity. Proprioceptive sensitivity provides perfect movements. The absence of this ability or disruption in the functioning of proprioceptors contributes to poor coordination of movements. That is why conducting a study of proprioceptive sensitivity is important.
It is quite simple, and it can be carried out at home. For work you need a pen, a sheet of paper and a dynamometer.
To begin with, the person whose proprioception is being studied needs to stand in front of a horizontal surface (for example, a table) where a sheet of paper is located. After that, you need to take a pen and close your eyes. The person following the experiment takes the subject’s hand and sets it in the desired position, marked on the piece of paper with a small dot. After that, the hand tears off the sheet and takes it a long distance to the right or left side, lowers it for 5-10 seconds and returns the limb to its initial position.
Then the experimenter sets the passive movement, which must be performed by the test subject after 10 seconds and one minute. In addition, each time it is necessary to make a mark on the position of the handle each time.
This allows you to explore the reproduction of passive movements from the bottom up and vice versa. The distance between points set as a result of passive and active movements is measured.
Then, touch the subject’s palm with a pencil. The eyes of the person whose proprioception is being examined are closed at this time. After this, the test subject must mark the place of touch with another pencil. The same thing is done on the surface of the shoulder and forearm. Then the distances between the points are measured. The accuracy of touch localization is different.
There is another way to check the state of proprioceptive sensitivity. To do this, a person needs to “squeeze” a few tens of kilograms, watching the dynamometer at this moment. The same thing must be repeated again, but with eyes closed. In the latter case, the force of tension will be controlled by proprioceptors, which provide muscle sensitivity. Then, the percentage of deviation from the initially specified indicator is calculated.
In conclusion, the subject is invited to squeeze and unclench the brush for one minute. And repeat the same with the dynamometer. After this, it is necessary to summarize the results obtained during the study and draw the appropriate conclusions.
Kinesthesia
If we consider this term in a narrow sense, the meanings of kinesthesia and proprioception are very similar. Kinesthesia is the ability to feel your own body in space. If we consider kinesthesia in a broad sense, then this is not only a sense of the position and movement of one’s own body, but also recognition of signals from the vestibular apparatus and vision, which allow more complete information about the position of the body taking into account objects located in the environment.
Conclusion
Muscular sensitivity is controlled by the work of sensitive receptors, proprioceptors. The information that comes from them gives a person the opportunity to constantly monitor the position in which he is located, and the accuracy of movements, as well as the strength of muscle contractions during resistance.
Proprioceptive sensitivity is crucial to ensure the proper functioning of the whole organism. Without the ability to sense the position of one's limbs in space, a person would lose the ability to make coordinated movements with his eyes closed.
Disruption of proprioceptors disrupt vital processes and significantly worsen the quality of life. Exercises for research and further development of proprioceptive sensitivity are an important component of preparing athletes for competitions and during post-traumatic rehabilitation.