Anatomy of Human Proprioceptive Pathways

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DRAFTING
Proprioception provides an awareness of the body and body positioning without 'continuous reference to consciousness' (Lephart et.al, 1997, p. 131). There are two types of proprioception, being conscious and unconscious. Conscious proprioception concerns joint position sense and kinetic sense (Khasnis & Gokula, 2003). Joint position sense processes joint movement and joint position sensations (Sharp et.al, 1994). These joint sensations provide the awareness of the position of the body and body parts in space (Khasnis & Gokula, 2003). Kinetic sense is the awareness of the motion of various body parts (Khasnis & Gokula, 2003). Joint position sense and kinetic sense are essential for proper joint function in daily activities. Mechanoreceptors are peripheral afferents and transmit signals that the joint position and kinetic senses identify (Lephart & Fu, 1995). Mechanoreceptors are located in spindle endings and tendonn organs in muscles, or Ruffini spray endings in deeper tissue (Stillman, 2002). Mechanoreceptors can act at different speeds, and conscious proprioception can pl...

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