Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
06:58
A Structured Rehabilitation Protocol for Improved Multifunctional Prosthetic Control: A Case Study
Published on: November 6, 2015
Clarifying Proprioceptive Training: A Narrative Review
Nourali El Husseini Cardenas1, Juan D Ascuntar Viteri2,3, Juan D Quintero2,3
1Facultad de fisioterapia, Universidad Tecnológica del Suroeste de Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36000, Mexico.
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Proprioception, crucial for rehabilitation and sport, needs clearer definitions and assessments. Current training methods often lack specificity, focusing on general motor skills rather than true sensory improvements.
Area of Science:
- Sensorimotor neuroscience
- Rehabilitation science
- Sports science
Background:
- Proprioception is traditionally defined as joint position and movement perception.
- Contemporary views see it as a multimodal sensorimotor system integrating sensory input and motor commands.
- Inconsistencies in definition, assessment, and training persist, impacting its application in rehabilitation and sport.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically analyze the current knowledge on proprioception.
- To clarify the concept of proprioceptive training.
- To address conceptual and methodological inconsistencies in proprioception research.
Main Methods:
- A narrative review of literature from January 2000 to May 2025.
- Searches conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus.
- Inclusion criteria focused on proprioception definition, assessment, training, and rehabilitation, excluding balance-only studies.
Main Results:
- Proprioception encompasses distinct submodalities: joint position sense, kinaesthesia, and force sense.
- Current assessment tools often lack ecological validity, testing submodalities in artificial conditions.
- Many interventions labeled 'proprioceptive' induce general motor adaptations, not specific sensory changes.
Conclusions:
- There is a need for submodality-specific operational definitions of proprioception.
- Development of ecologically valid assessment tools is essential.
- Future proprioceptive training interventions should target genuine sensory adaptations.
