Characterization of human joint proprioception by means of a threshold hunting paradigm

A method has been developed to measure the proprioceptive performance of movement detection in human joints, with the threshold hunting paradigm commonly used in other sensory modalities. Methods applied in former studies regarding movement detection were very time consuming (hours), making them not applicable to patients. Using the threshold hunting paradigm, the subject changes the parameter value continuously around the threshold producing a threshold hunting curve, which itself might be valuable for investigation of movement detection performance. The method presented here, is very quick compared to other studies in this field, especially when velocity is hunted and the threshold values are very low. The threshold parameter value is stable since there is a control at any time over the subject's stimulus perception. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo simulation showed that hunting curves can clearly be distinguished from guessing. Also reliability is given. All these points allow to use the method to evaluate the proprioceptive performance of a single individual. Considering the results, the method described may be useful for basic and clinical investigations regarding the proprioceptive performance limits of movement detection aspects.