Proprioceptive Senses – Kinesthesis and Vestibular Senses

 The feeling of position, movement, and action that your body possesses is called
proprioception, or kinesthesia (The sense of bodily movements). It is inherent in all of
your muscular movements. You couldn't move without considering your next move if you
didn't have proprioception. You can walk without actively considering where to put your
foot next thanks to proprioception. It allows you to close your eyes and touch your elbow.
 Kinesthetic = “Kinesis” = Motion “Aisthesis” = Perception – Kinesthetic Sense is a
sense that informs position and motion of body parts
 Proprioceptors – Its receptors are nerve endings embedded in muscles, tendons, and
linings joints.

 Muscles - a body tissue consisting of long cells that contract when stimulated and
produce motion.
Characteristics of muscles:
 Contractility – Muscles to shorten
 Tonicity – Muscles to be in partial contraction
 Extensibility – Muscles to stretch
 Elasticity – Resume to its original shape

 Tendons – A tendon is a rope-like string of strong, flexible tissue. Tendons are the fibrous
bands that link your muscles to your bones. It is a collagenous-fibers; is a fibrous
connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone. It can be at the ends of muscles; attach
muscles to structures such as the eyeball. A tendon serves to move the bone or structure.
The tendon is a "mechanical bridge." It allows the transmission of muscle strength to the
bones and joints.
 Musculotendinous junction (MTJ) - The point where the tendon attaches to your muscle.
 Osteotendinous junction (OTJ)- The point where the tendon attaches to your bone.
Linings of Joints - A joint is the part of the body where two or more bones meet to allow
movement. Synovial joints, such as the hip and knee, have a sheath of tissue known as a joint
capsule that contains a synovium. This membrane produces a special fluid to lubricate the joint
and prevent wear on cartilage while the joint is in motion.
 Ball-and-socket joints. Ball-and-socket joints, such as the shoulder and hip joints, allow backward, forward,
sideways, and rotating movements.

 Hinge joints. Hinge joints, such as in the fingers, knees, elbows, and toes, allow only bending and straightening
movements.

 Pivot joints. Pivot joints, such as the neck joints, allow limited rotating movements.

 Ellipsoidal joints. Ellipsoidal joints, such as the wrist joint, allow all types of movement except pivotal
movements.

 The proprioceptors in muscles are called muscle spindles.

 Muscle spindles are long proteins encapsulated in sheaths that lay parallel to muscle
fibers.
 Composed of connective tissue capsules that contains bundles of specialized muscle
fibers called intrafusal fibers.

 Vestibular Sense – Static sense - Two kinds of receptors give information about
movements of the head and permit a sense of balance of the body. The vestibular system
provides the sense of balance and the information about body position that allows rapid
compensatory movements in response to both self-induced and externally generated
forces. The peripheral portion of the vestibular system is a part of the inner ear that acts
as a miniaturized accelerometer and inertial guidance device, continually reporting
information about the motions and position of the head and body to integrative centers
located in the brainstem, cerebellum, and somatic sensory cortices.
Vestibular/Static Sense – Our static position, Our velocity (Any direction), Our Acceleration
(Any direction)
 Detecting this type of balance or position details are the functions of the two remaining
regions of the inner ear: The vestibule and the semicircular canals
 Static position and our vestibule
The Vestibule contains two sensory areas: The Utricle and Saccule – they both contain
Endolymph and Hair cells