Proprioception is a term that has to do with out bodily awareness in space (no, not outer space). It’s the sense of out position and movement of our bodies including all its parts. It allows you to know where your body is, whether you’re upright or upside down. And it allows us to control the way we move with accuracy without having to look at ourselves or body parts. It allows us to know that we are raising our hand or how hard we may be kicking a ball.
This neurological awareness we call “proprioception” is essential for balancing, coordination and control of all our movements. People sometimes refer to it as the “sixth sense” because it is not based on the five traditional senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch that we all learned in school.
Proprioception is sometimes impaired when a person has a stroke, or other neurological injury or condition. Therapists may use the term to explain why a loved one or care recipient has difficulty doing a certain thing or performing a specific task. As it is more of an “awareness” versus a “weakness”, it’s not solved by simply “exercising”. This is a hard concept for some to grasp because we as humans are used to “doing” things to solve problems.
In any event, if you’re care recipient has lost some neurological function, this is a term you may hear and it would be beneficial to understand more clearly.