Proprioceptive training: how and why to develop a sense of position

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You can touch your nose with your eyes closed and perform other coordinated movements. This is possible thanks to proprioception - the feeling of one's body in space. The life hacker tells why to develop this feeling and how to do it.

What is proprioception

Our muscles, joints, skin and connective tissues contain nerve receptors - proprioceptors. They react to any changes in body position and send signals to the brain, which, in turn, sends commands to the muscles. This often happens so quickly that it looks like a reflex.

Thanks to proprioceptors, we have:

• a sense of position, due to which we feel in what position the joints are and how our body is located in space;
• a sense of movement, thanks to which we know how our joints move, when we move ourselves and when something moves us;
• a sense of strength, thanks to which we know how much we need to strain in order to stay in the right position.

Why proprioceptive training is needed

Proprioceptive training involves a set of exercises in an unstable environment that helps to strengthen proprioceptive signals from peripheral parts of the body, especially the limbs.

The main objective is Benefits of proprioceptive training in recovery after knee sprain - theoretical grounds. such training is to improve control over posture and joints.

This is where proprioceptive training can help you.

• Fully recover from injury: regain mobility and muscle control in the injured limb.
• Reduce the risk of injury. Improve muscle control during exercise and maintain load distribution across all muscle groups, avoiding isolated areas.
• Improve your performance in sports. Develop a sense of balance and absolute control over movement.

Analysis of The effectiveness of proprioceptive training for improving motor function: a systematic review. 51 studies on the benefits of proprioceptive training have shown that it actually helps improve "muscle feeling." 29 of 51 studies reported a 20% improvement in participants' proprioceptive function.

Six-Year Study Proprioceptive Training and Injury Prevention in a Professional Men’s Basketball Team: A Six-Year Prospective Study. the effect of proprioceptive training on preventing injuries in basketball players has shown that exercises on an unstable support help reduce the number of sprains of the ankle joint by 81%, and the knee joint by 64.5%, reduce pain in the lower back by 77.8% and improve proprioceptive control by 72.2%.

Another study, Can proprioceptive training improve motor learning? showed that proprioceptive training can significantly improve the sensory-motor function of the body - the ability to feel changes in the body and respond to them.

How to train

In the aforementioned study with basketball players, participants trained on a postural proprioceptive station - a special rocking board connected to a computer.

Instead of a special station, you can use what is in the gym: a Bosu simulator or a balance board, and if you are going to train at home, just do the exercises in unstable conditions, for example, on one leg.

On one leg with closed eyes

This exercise is effective for developing proprioceptive control, since you eliminate one of the three systems responsible for balance - the visual, leaving only the somatosensory (proprioceptors) and vestibular.

First, try to simply raise one leg low and keep your balance with your eyes closed, then do yoga tree pose or other static balance exercises. Hold the pose for 30-60 seconds on each leg. Take three sets.

On one leg on Bosu

Stand on Bosu, find a balance position and try to lift one leg. It is better to do the exercise next to a wall or have someone else to back you up in case you do not keep your balance.

Maintain this position for 30 seconds, then change legs and repeat. Get some rest and do two more sets of this exercise.

Toss the ball to Bosu

This exercise is performed in pairs. You and your partner stand on the Bosu platforms and toss a medicine ball or medicine ball to each other. If you don't have a partner, you can replace the exercise with throwing the ball against the wall. Do three sets of 20 reps.

"Pistol" on Bosu

If you are in good shape, you can try the one-legged squat on the soft side of the Bosu. While squatting, try to turn the knee of the supporting leg outward, stretch your arms forward: this will make it easier to maintain balance.

Balance board training

If your gym has a balance board, don't pass it by - this is a great proprioceptive workout machine. Learn to get up on it smoothly and neatly, and then freely balance by rolling the cylinder under the board. It is better if at first you have something (or someone) to hold on to in case of a fall.

In this article you will find even more balance exercises, and here are some good balance exercises with Bosu and medballs.

How much to do

Proprioceptive training can take 5 to 20 minutes. Pick three to four exercises and incorporate them into your workout at the end of your warm-up.

In a meta-analysis of 51 studies, researchers noted the importance of exercise duration. The greatest effect for improving proprioceptive and motor function was provided by training for six weeks or more.

Therefore, make proprioceptive training a habit, and after a month and a half to two you will have better balance and lower risk of injury.