Proprioception, in a nutshell, is the body’s perception of itself in space relative to its component parts i.e. its ‘position sense’. 

It relies on combined information feeding to the brain from specialised receptors within the joints and soft tissues, visual input from the eyes, tactile input from touch and the functioning of the balance apparatus in the ears, to provide a sense of body position, balance and stability. Depending upon the body’s efficiency of this process, it then makes adjustments as necessary, to enable a person to walk, run, jump, reach and climb as precisely as possible and to limit the possibility of falling over, tripping up or mis-footing.  For example, it is the system that allows a person to climb the stairs without looking down at their feet.

It is even more vital in sporting activities where precise movements, co-ordination, strength and agility are required and as such, helps in preventing sports-related injuries. Indeed research has shown that females in competitive sports such as football and netball, where twisting movements are common, sustain fewer injuries to their knee ligaments if proprioception is trained to a high level, and trained sports-specifically.

Following an injury, such as an ankle ligament sprain, these specialised receptors are often damaged, affecting the feedback of the proprioceptive information and consequently affecting an individual’s position sense from that affected joint.  The good news is, that following an injury, proprioception can be retrained back to the level that the individual requires, as long as they include proprioceptive training in their rehabilitation process.

If proprioception is not addressed following an injury, the body area concerned is not only less efficient at providing the brain with this essential information in order for it to function effectively, but is then placed at risk of re-injury, leading to potential chronic joint problems.

Proprioceptive exercises should be included in the very early stages of rehabilitation and make up an important part of physiotherapy. Rehabilitation programmes including this type of training, can be tailor-made to address an individual’s needs and should be sports specific. Proprioceptive rehabilitation for football players will be different to that of a ballet dancer or a snowboarder, as the movements and co-ordination requirements for each sport are so specific. It has been proven that proprioceptive training enhances strength, balance and agility and can contribute to improving overall sports performance.

It is important to appreciate that proprioceptive rehabilitation is also just as important for an individual who does not play sport. Managing to run up the stairs, take the dog for a walk or carry bags of shopping still requires a certain level of proprioceptive ability and therefore a rehabilitation programme following an injury should reflect this precise level of need.

Interested? Get in touch with one of our physiotherapists for a full proprioceptive assessment and ‘screening' We can design a sports-specific programme that helps maximise your sporting potential and prevent re-injury.  Additionally, even if you are not a sporty person, our physiotherapy programmes can help you to recover fully following an injury.

Injury, quite simply, spoils sport. Yet training hard to enjoy sport and improve performance means often pushing your body beyond is normal boundaries in order to achieve the desired effect – whether that’s improving a race P.B, increasing distance or combining disciplines such as triathlon training.

How can you therefore prevent injuries from occuring in order for training to continue, whilst still pushing those boundaries, striving for that success?….

• Warm up. Yes, that old chestnut. How many of you can be honest and say that you warm up properly, or even know how to do this effectively? How many of you would rather just get out on that run, rather than spend extra time doing a boring warm up?? Warming up prepares the body for activity by increasing the circulation to the muscles required for the job, ‘firing’ them up and improving the tissue reponse to movement and resistance. However…this is not achieved by stretching a cold muscle statically, as many people think. Dynamic stretching pre-sport is the key to efficient and safe tissue performance, preparing not only the muscles but the joints, ligaments, connective tissue and neural tissue for action. They are, after all, all involved in movement and sport. Dynamic stretching should incorporate a number of movements specific to your sport, into a simple routine of around 5 minutes or more. For football players, this might be side-to-side jogs, high knee jogging, heel flicks behind or scissor / split jumps etc. Warming up prepares the body for sport safely and is vital in injury prevention.
• Listen to your body. Be honest with yourself whilst training about how your body feels. One day of training will feel different to the next and often there is a good reason for this. It maybe that you have not adequately hydrated that day, trained too close to the last training session, or increased the intensity of your training…such variables alter performance and can trigger niggles, early fatigue or stiffness and if ignored, may lead to injury. Remember, ‘no pain no gain’ is not always the key to success. Even mild pain can indicate the potential for injury. Be aware of different sensations in your body during training and don’t push through what does not feel right. Know your limits…everyone has them and be honest about how your body feels – it may just prevent that next injury from occuring.
• Respond to aches and pains. Don’t just leave niggles and minor strains in the hope that they will simply ‘go away’. They rarely do! Manage with adequate rest, ice, gentle stretches, massage etc. and seek advice from an experienced sports physiotherapist. When managed correctly, minor injuries can clear quickly enabling training to resume as soon as possible. If left, the monster just grows!