Joint Injuries Can Affect Your Coordination

Proprioceptors are sensory receptors on nerve endings found in muscles, tendons, joints and the inner ear. These receptors relay information about motion or position and make you aware of your body's position and movement in space.Therefore, proprioception is being able to move around without consciously focusing on where you are. For example, raise your arm with your eyes closed; you are still aware of your arm’s position even though you can’t see it. Or if you get up during the night and are able to walk to another room even though you can’t see where you’re going, that is an example of proprioception.Proprioceptors can also trigger certain protection reflexes. The stretch reflex is activated when the proprioceptors sense too much stretch or force on a muscle or tendon. To resist an unsafe change in muscle length that may lead to a torn muscle or tendon, the reflex causes the stretched muscle to contract, shorten, and protect the muscle or tendon from injury.Although it's not possible to lose all proprioception, for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), there's a slowdown in nervous system communication, known as demyelination. MS leaves people less aware of their bodies, in a way, with balance control issues an early sign of the condition. Injuries, such as an ankle sprain can also impair your sense of proprioception and you may feel the joint is unstable and about to give out.It is possible to increase the proprioceptive feedback from your body to your brain, and this can help you recover more quickly. It is also possible to improve posture, and to increase our balance so our day-to-day activities cause less discomfort as we age. The proprioceptive system can be trained and strengthened, both through specific exercises and with chiropractic care. Chiropractors use neurologic testing to monitor and test the proprioceptive system and are then able to improve on any deficits.If you feel that your balance is suffering, schedule an appointment, we’d love to work with you and lay out a plan to strengthen your proprioceptive system.