Muscle Function and Muscle Health

1. Physical
Health
Part 3
Stephan Betterbodyz van
Breenen

2. Why do people compensate the
way they compensate ?
The further the attachment from
the joint, the more control /
influence it has on the joint
The bigger the force arm the better
mechanical advantage you have.
This applies for muscles, ligaments
and tendons, how it attaches
(degree of angle)

3. When the attachment is close to the
joint, it less able to have control on that
joint.
When you jam up the pelvis you screw
up the Sacrotuberous ligament, what
causes increased tension on the
hamstring muscles.
The main function of the Sacrotuberous
ligament is to stabilize the pelvic girdle
and limits upward titling of the sacrum
and rotation of the pelvis.

4. Why is one side the muscles
bigger then the other side ? Or why
is the one side with the smaller
muscles smaller in size.
What does it have to do so badly to
get to that size. !!!

5. Physiological characteristics of a
Muscle
Muscle issues leads to variations in
force of contraction.
Recruitment is a Mechanical concept.
The more motor units involved, the
more force and the better the cycle.
Bunch of axons make up a motor unit,
it excites the motor unit

6. Muscle Unit (1)
Individual motor axons branch within muscles to
synapse on many different fibers that are typically
distributed over a relatively wide area within the
muscle, presumably to ensure that the contractile
force of the motor unit is spread evenly. this
arrangement reduces the chance that damage to
one or a few α motor neurons will significantly alter a
muscle's action.
Because an action potential generated by a motor
neuron normally brings to threshold all of the muscle
fibers it contacts, a single α motor neuron and its
associated muscle fibers together constitute the
smallest unit of force that can be activated to
produce movement.

7. Muscle Unit (2)
Both motor units and the α motor neurons
themselves vary in size. Small α motor neurons
innervate relatively few muscle fibers and form
motor units that generate small forces, whereas
large motor neurons innervate larger, more powerful
motor units. Motor units also differ in the types of
muscle fibers that they innervate.
In most skeletal muscles, the small motor units
innervate small “red” muscle fibers that contract
slowly and generate relatively small forces; but,
because of their rich myoglobin content, plentiful
mitochondria, and rich capillary beds, such small red
fibers are resistant to fatigue. These small units are
called slow (S) motor units and are especially
important for activities that require sustained

8. Muscle Unit (3)
Larger α motor neurons innervate larger, pale
muscle fibers that generate more force; however,
these fibers have sparse mitochondria and are
therefore easily fatigued. These units are called fast
fatigable (FF) motor units and are especially
important for brief exertions that require large forces,
such as running or jumping.
A third class of motor units has properties that lie
between those of the other two. These fast fatigue-
resistant (FR) motor units are of intermediate size
and are not quite as fast as FF units.

9. Muscle Unit (4)
These distinctions among different types of motor
units indicate how the nervous system produces
movements appropriate for different circumstances.
In most muscles, small, slow motor units have lower
thresholds for activation than the larger units and
are tonically active during motor acts that require
sustained effort (standing, for instance).
The threshold for the large, fast motor units is
reached only when rapid movements requiring great
force are made, such as jumping. The functional
distinctions between the various classes of motor
units also explain some structural differences among
muscle groups

10. A motor unit in the soleus (a muscle important for
posture that comprises mostly small, slow units) has
an average innervation ratio of 180 muscle fibers for
each motor neuron. In contrast, the gastrocnemius,
a muscle that comprises both small and larger units,
has an innervation ratio of 1000–2000 muscle fibers
per motor neuron, and can generate forces needed
for sudden changes in body position. More subtle
variations are present in athletes on different training
regimens. Muscle biopsies show that sprinters have
a larger proportion of powerful but rapidly fatiguing
pale fibers in their legs than do marathoners. Other
differences are related to the highly specialized
functions of particular muscles. For instance, the
eyes require rapid, precise movements but little
strength; in consequence, extraocular muscle motor
units are extremely small (with an innervation ratio of
only 3!) and have a very high proportion of muscle

11. Slow Oxidative Muscle Fiber
-Capacity to develop tension is variable,
because the nature of the fiber type
-Predominate fiber
-Postural fiber
-Low force/power/ and speed production
-High endurance
-Large amount of myoglobin
-Many mitochondria and blood capillaries

12. Motor Unit (5)
A motor unit is all the motor fibers it innervates, it’s
the all or non principle.
Maximum strength is when all motor units fire at
once, a safety mechanism stops you from utilizing
all motor units
Classification
I (Slow oxidative, SO) — Low glycolytic and high
oxidative presence. Low(er) myosin ATPase,
sensitive to alkali.
IIa (Fast oxidative/glycolytic, FOG)[9] — High
glycolytic, oxidative and myosin ATPase presence ,
sensitive to acid.
IIb (Fast glycolytic, FG) — High glycolytic and
myosin ATPase presence, sensitive to acid. Low

13. Fast Oxidative Muscle Fiber
-Fibers are red
-Very high capacity for generating ATP by
oxidative metabolic processes, and split ATP
at a very
rapid rate
-Fast contraction velocity
-Resistant to fatigue
-Infrequently found in human

14. Fast Glycolytic Muscle Fiber
-Recruited for very short duration at a high
intensity bust of power
-Contain low content of myoglobin
-Contain relatively few mitochondria
-Contain relatively few blood capillaries
-Contain large amount of glycogen
-White muscle fiber
-Geared to generate ATP anaerobic metabolic
processes

15. Fast Glycolytic Muscle Fiber
Not able to supply skeletal muscle fiber
continuously with sufficient ATP and fatigue
easily
Split ATP at high rate and have a fast
contraction velocity

16. Roles in which muscle(s) act (1)
What is the function of a given muscle if
it is activated, what will happen ?, such
questions cannot be answered directly
or exactly, because many variable
factors can regulate, modulate the
result of musculoskeletal contraction.
Depending on the circumstance, a
muscle act in one or several ways.

17. There are four basic actions
1)
A muscle fiber can only do one thing, and that
is develop tension within itself.
What basically means it has to pull, it can
only pull.
The lever system is working around that
(a press up is still a muscle pull)
What will happen with that tension
There are so many variables what can
influence that tension, it may disparate,
because there is too much slack.

18. There are four basic actions
1) A muscle fiber can only do one thing, and
that is develop tension within itself.
What basically means it has to pull, it can
only pull.
The lever system is working around that
(a press up is still a muscle pull)
What will happen with that tension ?
There are so many variables what can
influence that tension, it may disparate,
because there is too much slack.

19. 2)
When a muscle fiber or a whole muscle
contracts, it tend to shorten. If it does
shorten is another matter, but it will tend to.
If it tend to shorten but can’t, it will be
something isometric static contraction
happening.
If it tend to shorten depends on numerous
of things, it can even lengthen when it
tends to shorten (eccentric contraction)

20. 3)
When a muscle contracts it tend to do all of
it’s possible actions.
When a muscle cross a joint it tends to do all
of it’s possible action.

21. What does it tend to do on that system ?
Both those levers tend to move and
come closer together, not one of them
but both of them.
Only one of them will, if something
modulates/ happens to the other lever
something comes in plays havoc, and
then you will have only one of them
moving.
If that happens, they both will go in.
If the angle is different, they both will

22. When a particular muscle contracts
It tends to pull both ends toward the center
If neither of the bones to which a muscle is
attached are stabilized then both bones move
toward each other upon contraction
More commonly one bone is more stabilized
by a variety of factors and the less stabilized
bone usually moves toward the more
stabilized bone upon contraction

23. When a particular muscle contracts
It tends to pull both ends toward the center
If neither of the bones to which a muscle is
attached are stabilized then both bones move
toward each other upon contraction
More commonly one bone is more stabilized
by a variety of factors and the less stabilized
bone usually moves toward the more
stabilized bone upon contraction

24. Knowing pattern of muscle fascicle
pattern/ line of pull, it tend to want do
everything.
So to change what eventulate you have
to modulate, so it does only one thing,
the muscle doesn’t do it by itself, it only
creates tension, that’s all it can do.

25. Some muscles cross more then one
joint and in pretention create movement
in all those joints.
Because the muscle can only pull it
ends together, it ends together towards
it’s center contraction will always tend to
move all of it’s joint movements.
Most muscles you come across are not
single muscles but multi type joint
muscles, and some are even multi multi

26. Multi type muscles have the ability to
effect numerous joints at any time they
contract and that create great
complexities.
You need to understand the
complexities of that and can understand
that some will be optimal and some
wouldn’t be optimal, and that non
optimal will be hurting you and causes
issues.

27. What a muscle can do or could do is no
indication about what it will do.
Sometimes a motor program in the
brain doesn’t activate a muscle, which
would help in a given moment.

28. When the gluteus maximus contract
one of it’s tendencies is hip extension.
Angle of pull of gluteus maximus does a
lot of other things too, it has the
capacity of doing that, it’s not ordinary
turned on during hip extension and
walking

29. The force exerted by another muscle or
by an outside force can prevent the
muscle one or all of it’s possible joint
movement.
Most people when walking tend not to
utilize there glutes, hamstring use in hip
extension, unless you are mechanically
perfect orientated.
They will be able to utilize there glutes
and hamstrings much easier and freer

30. Roles in which muscle acts, most of us
what utilize the hamstrings only will be
much more tighter in the hamstrings,
because they are working harder
throughout the day and during there lift.
The reason for that is, the mechanical
priors, the system driving that requires
the hamstring to be more reliant on, and
the glutes harder to utilize.

31. 1)
A posteriorly tilted pelvis make it hard to
utilize the glutes, you have changed the
attachment sides relative to the hip
joint.
You have an orientation change, you
have reduced the length of the gluteus
maximus.
When you bring one attachment closer,
you have shortened it, it becomes less
effective to contract now.

32. 2)
A shortened muscle becomes less
effective to contract now, from a
mechanical point of view,
Made it really ineffective to do hip
extensions, so now the hamstrings has
to do most of the work, what makes it
very hard to harbor the gluteals.
Even walking up the stairs, it often
times get worse because you get more
posteriorly rotation and it becomes even

33. 3)
In a topline athlete you will never see a
posterior rotated pelvis, you will see
good working glutes and you will see
that it works with walking.
Why ? Because it has a more powerful
angle of pull to work across the thigh
muscle, it will because it can.

34. 4)
A hamstring has to work because it has
to, if it shouldn’t be, that is neither here
or there, it does it because it has to.
At the end of the day it become tighter
and tighter, it’s driven by mechanics,
mechanics rules here.

35. 5)
There is a law here, if a bigger muscle
can do the job better the a smaller
muscle, the bigger muscles will do it
easier.
Just because you know glutes does hip
extension, it doesn’t mean that they will
do that in that case. The Mechanical
prior is different from one person to
another and indicates how muscles
behave, it has nothing to do with your

36. 6)
You want to have your glutes
contracting, but you can’t, because they
are not in the position to do it, because
Mechanics doesn’t let them.
You should move around with a better
pelvic orientation and that should be
maintained.

37. What to do with abdominal strength
when you can’t use it.
It doesn’t protect your back, because it
doesn’t
The transverse abdominis is a dynamic
performance muscle in rotational
movements.

38. Mechanical orientation differentiation
from one person to another is going to
dictate how the muscle is going to
function, dynamically and postural.
How can you stop from muscles
behaving badly ? Maybe you have to
change Mechanics if Mechanics rules
so much.

39. How you going to change how the link
system all work together and get it all
working optimally and then the muscles
will behave themselves.

40. Shape of Muscles & Fiber Arrangement
• Muscles have different shapes &
fiber arrangement
• Shape & fiber arrangement affects
– Muscle’s ability to exert force
– Range through which it can
effectively exert force onto the
bones

41. Shape of Muscles & Fiber Arrangement
• Cross section diameter
Factor in muscle’s ability to exert force
Greater cross section diameter = greater
force exertion
• Muscle’s ability to shorten
Longer muscles can shorten through a
greater range
More effective in moving joints through large
ranges of motion

42. Shape of Muscles & Fiber
Arrangement
• 2 major types of fiber
arrangements
– Parallel & pennate
– Each is further subdivided according
to shape
• Parallel muscles
Fibers arranged parallel to length of
muscle
Produce a greater range of movement

43. Fiber Arrangement – Parallel
• Flat muscles
Usually thin & broad, originating
from
broad, fibrous, sheet-like
aponeuroses
Allows them to spread their forces
over a
broad area
– Ex. rectus abdominus & external

44. Fiber Arrangement – Parallel
• Fusiform muscles
Spindle-shaped with a central belly that tapers to tendons
on each end
Allows them to focus their power onto small, bony targets
Ex. brachialis, biceps brachii

45. Fiber Arrangement – Parallel
• Strap muscles
More uniform in diameter with essentially all fibers
arranged in a long parallel manner
Enables a focusing of power onto small, bony targets
– Ex. sartorius

46. Fiber Arrangement – Parallel
• Radiate muscles
Also described sometimes as being triangular, fan-shaped
or convergent
Have combined arrangement of flat & fusiform
Originate on broad aponeuroses & converge
onto a tendon
– Ex. pectoralis major, trapezius

47. Fiber Arrangement – Parallel
• Sphincter or circular muscles
Technically endless strap muscles
Surround openings & function to close them upon
contraction
– Ex. orbicularis oris surrounding the mouth

48. Fiber Arrangement – Parallel
Pennate muscles
Have shorter fibers
Arranged obliquely to their tendons in a manner similar to
a feather
Arrangement increases the cross sectional area of the
muscle, thereby increasing the power

49. Fiber Arrangement – Pennate
– Unipennate muscles
• Fibers run obliquely from a tendon on one side only
• Ex. biceps femoris, extensor digitorum longus, tibialis
posterior

50. Fiber Arrangement – Pennate
– Bipennate muscle
Fibers run obliquely on both sides from a central tendon
• Ex. rectus femoris, flexor halluces longus

51. Fiber Arrangement – Pennate
– Multipennate muscles
Have several tendons with fibers running diagonally
between them
• Ex. deltoid
Bipennate & unipennate produce strongest contraction

52. Muscle Tissue Properties
Skeletal muscle tissue has 4 properties related
to its ability to produce force & movement about joints
– Irritability or excitability
– Contractility
– Extensibility
– Elasticity

53. Muscle Tissue Properties
Irritability or Excitability - property of muscle being
sensitive or responsive to chemical, electrical, or
mechanical stimuli
Contractility - ability of muscle to contract &
develop tension or internal force against
resistance when stimulated

54. Muscle Tissue Properties
Extensibility - ability of muscle to be passively stretched
beyond it normal resting length
Elasticity - ability of muscle to return to its original length
following stretching

55. Muscle contractions can be used to cause, control, or
prevent joint movement or
To initiate or accelerate movement of a body segment
To slow down or decelerate movement of a body segment
To prevent movement of a body segment by external
forces

56. Isotonic contractions involve muscle developing tension to
either cause or control joint movement
Dynamic contractions
The varying degrees of tension in muscles result in joint
angles changing
Isotonic contractions are either concentric or eccentric on
basis of whether shortening or lengthening occurs

57. Isometric contraction
Tension is developed within muscle but joint angles
remain constant
Static contractions
Significant amount of tension may be developed in muscle
to maintain joint angle in relatively static or stable position
May be used to prevent a body segment from being
moved by external forces

58. Movement may occur at any given joint without any
muscle contraction whatsoever
Referred to as passive
Solely due to external forces such as those applied by
another person, object, or resistance or the force of gravity
in the presence of muscle relaxation

59. Concentric contraction
Muscle develops tension as it shortens
Occurs when muscle develops enough force to
overcome applied resistance
Causes movement against gravity or resistance
Described as being a positive contraction

60. • Eccentric contraction (muscle action)
Muscle lengthens under tension
Occurs when muscle gradually lessens in tension to
control the descent of resistance
Weight or resistance overcomes muscle contraction but
not to the point that muscle cannot control descending
movement

61. Eccentric contraction (muscle action)
Controls movement with gravity or resistance
Described as a negative contraction
Force developed by the muscle is less than that of the
resistance

62. Eccentric contraction (muscle action)
Results in the joint angle changing in the direction of the
resistance or external force
Causes body part to move with gravity or external forces
(resistance)
Used to decelerate body

63. • Isokinetics - a type of dynamic exercise
using concentric and/or eccentric muscle
contractions
Speed (or velocity) of movement is constant
Muscular contraction (ideally maximum contraction)
occurs throughout movement

64. Agonist muscles
– Cause joint motion through a specified
plane of motion when contracting
concentrically
– Known as primary or prime movers, or
muscles most involved

65. Antagonist muscles
Located on opposite side of joint from agonist
Have the opposite concentric action
Known as contralateral muscles
Work in cooperation with agonist muscles by relaxing &
allowing movement
When contracting concentrically perform the opposite joint
motion of agonist

66. Stabilizers
Surround joint or body part
Contract to fixate or stabilize the area to enable another
limb or body segment to exert force & move
Known as fixators
Essential in establishing a relatively firm base for the more
distal joints to work from when carrying out movements

67. Synergist
Assist in action of agonists
Not necessarily prime movers for the action
Known as guiding muscles
Assist in refined movement & rule out undesired motions

68. Neutralizers
Counteract or neutralize the action of another muscle to
prevent undesirable movements such as inappropriate
muscle substitutions
Referred to as neutralizing
Contract to resist specific actions of other muscles

69. Muscles with multiple agonist actions
Attempt to perform all of their actions when
contracting
Cannot determine which actions are appropriate for the
task at hand

70. Actions actually performed depend upon
several factors
The motor units activated
Joint position
Muscle length
Relative contraction or relaxation of other
muscles acting on the joint

71. Lines of Pull Consider the following
1.
Exact locations of bony landmarks to which
muscles attach proximally & distally and
their relationship to joints
2.
Planes of motion through which a joint is
capable of moving
3.
Muscle’s relationship or line of pull relative
to the joint’s axes of rotation

72. Lines of Pull Consider the following
4.
As a joint moves the line of pull may change
& result in muscle having a different or
opposite action than in the original position
5.
Potential effect of other muscles’ relative
contraction or relaxation on a particular
muscle’s ability to cause motion
6.
Effect of a muscle’s relative length on its
ability to generate force

73. Lines of Pull Consider the following
7.
Effect of the position of other joints on the ability of a bi-
articular or multi-articular muscle to generate force or
allow lengthening

74. Neural control of voluntary movement
Muscle contraction result from stimulation by
the nervous system
Every muscle fiber is innervated by a somatic motor
neuron which, when an appropriate stimulus is provided,
results in a muscle contraction

75. The nervous system 'communicates' with muscle via
neuromuscular (also called myoneural) junctions. (A)
The impulse arrives at the end bulb
Chemical transmitter is released from vesicles (each of which
contains 5,000 - 10,000 molecules of acetylcholine) and diffuses
across the neuromuscular cleft
The transmitter molecules fill receptor sites in the membrane of the
muscle & increase membrane permeability to sodium.
Sodium then diffuses in & the membrane potential becomes less
negative, and, if the threshold potential is reached, an action
potential occurs, an impulse travels along the muscle cell
membrane, and the muscle contracts.

76. The synapse is a specialized structure that allows one
neuron to communicate with another neuron or a muscle
cell. There are billions of nerve cells in the brain and each
nerve cell can make and receive up to 10,000 synaptic
connections with other nerve cells. Also, the strength of
the synapse is modifiable. Changes in the strength of
synapses endow the nervous system with the ability to
store information

77. Steps in neuromuscular transmission:
1) Nerve action potential.
2) Calcium entry into the presynaptic terminus.
3) Release of Ach quanta.
4) Diffusion of Ach across cleft.
5) Combination of Ach with post-synaptic receptors
and Ach breakdown via esterase.
6) Opening of Na+/K+ channels (cation channels).
7) Postsynaptic membrane depolarization (EPP).
8) Muscle action potential

78. Neural control of voluntary movement
The stimulus may be processed in varying
degrees at different levels of the central
nervous system (CNS) which may be divided into five
levels of control
– cerebral cortex
– basal ganglia
– cerebellum
– brain stem
– spinal cord

79. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Cerebral cortex
Highest level of control
Provides for the creation of voluntary
movement as aggregate muscle action, but
not as specific muscle activity
Interprets sensory stimuli from body to a
degree for determine of needed responses

80. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Basal ganglia
The next lower level
Controls maintenance of postures & equilibrium
Controls learned movements such as driving a car
Controls sensory integration for balance & rhythmic
activities

81. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Cerebellum
A major integrator of sensory impulses
Provides feedback relative to motion
Controls timing & intensity of muscle activity to assist in
the refinement of movements

82. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Brain stem
Integrates all central nervous system
activity through excitation & inhibition of
desired neuromuscular functions
Functions in arousal or maintaining a wakeful state

83. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Spinal cord
Common pathway between CNS & PNS
Has the most specific control
Integrates various simple & complex spinal
reflexes
Integrates cortical & basal ganglia activity
with various classifications of spinal reflexes

84. Neural control of voluntary movement
Functionally, PNS is divided into sensory &
motor divisions
Sensory or afferent nerves bring impulses from receptors
in skin, joints, muscles, & other peripheral aspects of body
to CNS
Motor or efferent nerves carry impulses to outlying regions
of body from the CNS

85. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Efferent nerves further subdivided into
– voluntary or somatic nerves which are
under conscious control & carry impulses
to skeletal muscles
– Involuntary or visceral nerves, referred to
as the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
which carry impulses to the heart, smooth
muscles, and glands

86. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Neurons (nerve cells) - basic functional
units of nervous system responsible for
generating & transmitting impulses and consist of
– A neuron cell body
– One or more branching projections known
as dendrites which transmit impulses to
neuron & cell body
– Axon - an elongated projection that transmits
impulses away from neuron cell bodies

87. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Neurons are classified as one of three
types according to the direction in which
they transmit impulses
– Sensory neurons
– Motor neurons
– Interneurons

88. Neural control of voluntary movement
• Sensory neurons transmit impulses to
spinal cord & brain from all parts of body
• Motor neurons transmit impulses away
from the brain & spinal cord to muscle &
glandular tissue
• Interneurons are central or connecting neurons
that conduct impulses from sensory neurons to
motor neurons

89. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Activity performance is significantly dependent
upon neurological feedback from the body
• We use various senses to determine a
response to our environment
– Seeing when to lift our hand to catch a fly
ball

90. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Taken for granted are sensations associated
with neuromuscular activity through proprioception
• Proprioceptors - internal receptors located in
skin, joints, muscles, & tendons which provide
feedback relative to tension, length, &
contraction state of muscle, position of body &
limbs, and movements of joints

91. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Proprioceptors work in combination with
other sense organs to accomplish kinesthesis
• Kinesthesis – conscious awareness of position
& movement of the body in space
• Proprioceptors specific to muscles
– Muscles spindles
– Golgi tendon organs (GTO)

92. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Proprioception
– Subconscious mechanism by which body is
able posture & movement by responding to
stimuli originating in proprioceptors of the
joints, tendons, muscles, & inner ear

93. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Muscle spindles
Concentrated primarily in muscle belly between the fibers
Sensitive to stretch & rate of stretch
Insert into connective tissue within muscle & run parallel
with muscle fibers
Spindle number varies depending upon level of control
needed
• Ex. Greater concentration in hands than thigh

94. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Muscle spindles & myostatic or stretch reflex
1. Rapid muscle stretch occurs
2. Impulse is sent to the CNS
3. CNS activates motor neurons of muscle and
causes it to contract

95. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Stretch reflex may be utilized to facilitate
a greater response
– Ex. Quick short squat before attempting a jump
– Quick stretch placed on muscles in the squat
enables the same muscles to generate more
force in subsequently jumping off the floor

96. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Golgi tendon organ
– Found serially in the tendon close to muscle
tendon junction
– Sensitive to both muscle tension & active
contraction
– Much less sensitive to stretch than muscles
spindles
– Require a greater stretch to be activated

97. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Tension in tendons & GTO increases as muscle
contract, which activates GTO
1. GTO stretch threshold is reached
2. Impulse is sent to CNS
3. CNS causes muscle to relax
4. Facilitates activation of antagonists as a
protective mechanism
• GTO protects us from an excessive
contraction by causing its muscle to relax

98. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Quality of movement & reaction to position
change is dependent upon proprioceptive
feedback from muscles & joints
• Proprioception may be enhanced through
specific training

99. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
• Quality of movement & reaction to position
change is dependent upon proprioceptive
feedback from muscles & joints
• Proprioception may be enhanced through
specific training

100. Proprioception & Kinesthesis
Kinesthesis, also referred to as kinesthesia, is the
perception of body movements. It involves being able to
detect changes in body position and movements without
relying on information from the five senses. You are using
your kinesthetic sense whenever you are involved in a
physical activity such as walking, running, driving,
dancing, swimming and anything that requires body
movement.