kinesthesie

Kinesthesie, also called kinesthesia, is the sensory perception of movement and position of the body. It enables awareness of limb motion and posture, often without visual input. In many texts it is treated as the movement-related component of proprioception.

Physiology and mechanisms: Kinesthetic sensing relies on mechanoreceptors in muscles, tendons, joints, and skin. Muscle spindles monitor muscle length and the speed of stretch; Golgi tendon organs sense muscle tension; joint receptors provide information about joint angles and movement; cutaneous receptors contribute to touch and pressure feedback. Signals travel via peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and brain, where they are integrated in the somatosensory cortex and cerebellum. The brain combines kinesthetic input with visual and vestibular information to control movement and maintain balance.

Development and function: Kinesthetic awareness begins in infancy and is refined through practice. It underpins motor learning, coordination, dexterity, and balance, and supports everyday actions such as reaching, walking, and writing, as well as athletic performance and rehabilitation after injury.

Clinical aspects: Impairments can result from nerve damage, stroke, traumatic brain injury, or neurodegenerative disease, causing clumsiness or poor balance. Clinicians assess kinesthetic or proprioceptive function with joint position sense tests and movement-detection thresholds, among other measures. Interventions include proprioceptive training, balance and plyometric exercises, and task-specific practice to restore function.

See also: Proprioception; Vestibular system; Somatosensory system.