Proprioceptive input determines our perceived body map; however as already mentioned this body image has been shown to be disrupted in people with pain disorders.
Prorioception has been shown to be reduced in individuals with…
Neck pain (Treleaven J et al 2003)
Low Back pain (Lee et al 2010)
Shoulder pain (Anderson et al 2011)
Knee pain (Salahzadeh et al 2013)
Ankle pain (Ergen et al 2008)
The bad news is that studies have also shown that reduced proprioception may contribute to increasing the risk of recurrence of various musculoskeletal injuries.
The good news is that studies have also shown that proprioception retraining may help reduce the risk of injuries. The million dollar question is “what is the most effective way of improving proprioception and body awareness?”
You may naturally think of wobble boards and the Bosu balls for ankles and knees, but what can we do for necks and shoulders and backs? …read on about the Best Proprioceptive Training Options!
Reference: Rijezon U1, Clark NC2, Treleaven J3. Proprioception in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Part 1: Basic science and principles of assessment and clinical interventions. Man Ther. 2015 Jun;20(3):368-77.
