So, what is proprioception and how do we train to improve it?
Specialized sensory receptors are located in our joints, muscles and tendons. These organs, which can collectively be known as “proprioceptors”, send information in the form of nerve impulses to our conscious and subconscious central nervous systems. They relay information about our limb positions, joint movement, vibration and pressure. This allows any sequence of movement to be continually monitored and then modified if necessary. However, after acute injuries such as muscle pulls or joint sprains and after over-use injuries such as tendonitis, these nerve endings and nerve pathways can be damaged. The proprioceptors become slow to respond to changing position and this resulting decrease in joint position sense causes decreased co-ordination, poor balance and can lead to a tendency for joints to give way. This means that after any lower limb injury, proprioception should be re-trained. However, researchers suggest that 75% of people with an ankle sprain have had previous injuries whi
