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 plays an important role in the preparation of athletes for upcoming competitions and during the recovery period after serious injuries.
In order to evaluate the work of proprioceptors, it is necessary to conduct a study using a minimum amount of equipment.
What is sensitivity?
Before we can figure out what proprioceptive sensitivity is, we need to first define the term "sensitivity".
Sensitivity is the ability of a living object (human or animal) to respond to a certain impact coming from the environment. It gives a person the opportunity to fully respond to stimuli and fully carry out life processes.
What isproprioceptive sensitivity?
Proprioception, or muscle feeling - a sense of the position of individual parts of one's own body relative to each other at rest or in motion in animals and humans. A he althy person, who does not have deviations in the work 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 occur, such as sensitive ataxia, pseudoathetosis. In rare cases, loss of movement may occur.
Detailed description
Proprioceptive sensations are provided by the work of the organs of muscle sensitivity and, in particular, by the muscles. From them, information enters the nuclei of the central nervous system through large nerve fibers. After that, information is transmitted through the thalamus to the parietal lobe of the human or animal brain, where the body schema is subsequently formed.
Disturbance of proprioceptive sensitivity can lead to loss of movement. In exceptional cases, respiratory arrest may occur and, as a result, death.
Pathways of unconscious proprioceptive sensitivity:
- Govers path, or anterior spinal cerebellar path;
- posterior spinal cord.
Anatomy of muscle sensitivity has its own characteristics. The first neurons of the pathway of conscious proprioceptive sensitivity lie in the spinal ganglion. From the lower ganglia come fibers that form the Gaulle's bundle,from the top - the fibers that form the Burdach bundle. The axons of the first neurons pass into the posterior cords, after which they rise up and end in the medulla oblongata.
The bodies of the second neurons that cross, then cross the bridge and end in the nuclei of the lateral type of the thalamus, are located in nucll.gracilis et cuneatus.
In the lateral nuclei of the thalamus there are third neurons, the neurites of which move to the in postcentral gyrus.
Types of muscle feelings
In a normal state, a person can sense the position of the body and limbs, movements and strength due to the presence of proprioceptive sensitivity. The sense of strength is the ability to assess the muscle effort required to move and to keep 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, the sense of position is the ability to sense the angle of each joint separately. 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 proprioceptors). These include free nerve endings, muscle spindles, Golgi bodies found in tendons, and Pacinian bodies found in muscles, tendons and fascia.
The signals from them move to the brain of a person or animal and provide comprehensive information about the positionjoints, individually and collectively, and muscles.
Proprioceptors are located in muscles, ligaments, skin and joint capsules. They are a type of mechanoreceptors.
Muscle Sensitivity Study
There is a study that can be used to assess the state of muscle sensitivity. Proprioceptive sensitivity ensures the perfection of movements. The absence of this ability or disturbances in the work of proprioceptors contribute to the deterioration of coordination of movements. This is why conducting a proprioceptive sensitivity study is important.
It is quite simple, and you can do it at home. To work, you need a pen, a sheet of paper and a dynamometer.
First, the person whose proprioception is being tested needs to stand in front of a horizontal surface (such as a table) where a piece of paper is placed. After that, you need to take a pen and close your eyes. The person following the course of the experiment takes the subject's hand and sets it in the desired position, marked on a piece of paper with a small dot. After that, the hand is torn off the sheet and taken a long distance to the right or left side, lowered for 5-10 seconds and returns the limb to its original position.
Then the experimenter sets a passive movement to be performed by the subject after 10 seconds and one minute. At the same time, each time it is necessary to make a note abouthandle position.
This allows you to explore the reproduction of movements of a passive character from the bottom up and vice versa. The distance between the points set as a result of passive and active movements is measured.
Then the subject's palm is touched with a pencil. The eyes of the person whose proprioception is being examined are closed at this time. After that, the subject needs to mark the place of touch with another pencil. The same is done on the surface of the shoulder and forearm. Then the distances between the points are measured. Touch localization accuracy varies.
There is another way to check the state of proprioceptive sensitivity. To do this, a person needs to "squeeze out" several tens of kilograms, while watching the dynamometer at this moment. The same must be repeated again, but with closed eyes. In the latter case, the strength of the tension will be controlled by proprioceptors, which provide muscle sensitivity. Then, the percentage of deviation from the initially set indicator is calculated.
At the end, the subject is asked to squeeze and unclench the hand for one minute. And repeat the same using a dynamometer. After that, it is necessary to outline the results obtained during the study and draw the appropriate conclusions.
Kinesthesia
If we consider this term in a narrow sense, then the meanings of kinesthesia and proprioception are very similar. Kinaesthesia is the ability to feel your own body inspace. In a broader sense, kinesthesia is not only a sense of the position and movement of one's own body, but also the recognition of signals from the vestibular apparatus and vision, which allow one to obtain more complete information about the position of the body, taking into account objects located in the environment.
Conclusion
Muscle sensitivity is controlled by the work of sensory receptors, proprioceptors. The information that comes from them gives a person the opportunity to constantly control the posture in which he is, and the accuracy of movements, as well as the strength of muscle contractions with resistance.
Proprioceptive sensitivity is essential for 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 their eyes closed.
Violation of the work of proprioceptors disrupts vital processes and significantly impairs the quality of life. Exercises to explore and further develop proprioceptive sensitivity are an important component of preparing athletes for competitions and during post-traumatic rehabilitation.
