Proprioceptive Mechanism Research Articles

A Meta-Analysis of Systemic Evaluation of Knee Ligament Injury or Intervention of Knee Proprioceptive Function Recovery.

Objective The knee ligaments, as a passive knee joint stability device, provide protection for the knee joint and ensure its functional integrity. This role has long been known and recognized by people. The original purpose of knee ligament reconstruction after knee ligament injury is to restore its anatomical structure and mechanical stability mechanism. Methods Taking athletes as the research object, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on improving ankle joint function of athletes related to proprioception training at home and abroad were included. The search time was from the establishment of the database to December 31, 2019, and the references of related documents were traced. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the literature. RevMan 5.3 software was used for data analysis. Results The extensor strength, flexor strength, and flexor strength/extensor strength of the affected limb were higher than before the operation one year after surgery (P < 0.01). The Lysholm score, Lysholm instability score, and one-foot jump distance were all higher than those before surgery (P < 0.05); the difference of KT-2000 for both knees was smaller than that before surgery (P < 0.05). Conclusion In maintaining the anterior stability of the knee joint, the knee ligament provides 85% static resistance to prevent the tibia from moving forward, so knee ligament injury will cause knee instability. The proprioceptive feedback mechanism plays an important role in maintaining the functional stability of joints.

Proprioceptive Mechanism for Bioinspired Fish Swimming.

In this Letter, we propose a mechanism for driving bioinspired fish swimming locomotion based on proprioceptive sensing. Proprioception provides information about and representation of a body's position, motion, and acceleration in addition to the usual five senses. We hypothesize that a feedback loop based on this "sixth" sense results in an instability, driving the locomotion. In order to test our assumptions, we use a biomimetic robot and compare the experimental results to a simple yet generic model with excellent agreement.

Immediate effect of individual bars of insoles and their combination on gait parameters in asymptomatic healthy adults

Objective: The way how individual bars of sensorimotor insoles influence the gait kinematics is not fully understood yet. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of three sensorimotor orthotic conditions (the medial calcaneal and retrocapital lateral bars and their combination) on the gait parameters in healthy adults during the stance phase of gait cycle.Materials and methods: Twenty-six young adults performed 20 gait cycles in each condition using their self-selected cadence and provided standardised shoes with the base-sole and the three types of orthotics. A three-dimensional motion analysis system (8 cameras; 200 Hz) was used and a six-degrees of freedom model was applied. The cadence, the stride length, the first peaks of foot external rotation, eversion and dorsal flexion as well as the first peak of hip adduction were analysed.Results: Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found for all parameters between the orthotic conditions, except the cadence. Significant difference in the first peak of hip adduction (p = 0.008) was found between the dominant and non-dominant leg. There were no significant interactions between the factors of condition and leg dominance (p > 0.05).Conclusions: There seems to be overall tendencies in immediate changes in ankle joint kinematics caused by all three sensorimotor orthotic conditions and besides the mechanical principles, also ‘proprioceptive mechanism’ seems to play a role. However, maximum observed average angular change was 2° and some variability in reactions to each orthotic condition exists among the individuals. Therefore, clinical relevance of such changes remains unclear and careful analysis of expected outcomes should be the common part of every orthotic intervention.

Transfer of adaptation reveals shared mechanism in grasping and manual estimation

An influential idea in cognitive neuroscience is that perception and action are highly separable brain functions, implemented in distinct neural systems. In particular, this theory predicts that the functional distinction between grasping, a skilled action, and manual estimation, a type of perceptual report, should be mirrored by a split between their respective control systems. This idea has received support from a variety of dissociations, yet many of these findings have been criticized for failing to pinpoint the source of the dissociation. In this study, we devised a novel approach to this question, first targeting specific grasp control mechanisms through visuomotor adaptation, then testing whether adapted mechanisms were also involved in manual estimation – a response widely characterized as perceptual in function. Participants grasped objects in virtual reality that could appear larger or smaller than the actual physical sizes felt at the end of each grasp. After brief exposure to a size perturbation, manual estimates were biased in the same direction as the maximum grip apertures of grasping movements, indicating that the adapted mechanism is active in both tasks, regardless of the perception-action distinction. Additional experiments showed that the transfer effect generalizes broadly over space (Exp. 1B) and does not appear to arise from a change in visual perception (Exp. 2). We discuss two adaptable mechanisms that could have mediated the observed effect: (a) an afferent proprioceptive mechanism for sensing grip shape; and (b) an efferent visuomotor transformation of size information into a grip-shaping motor command.

Proprioceptive impairments in high fall risk older adults: the effect of mechanical calf vibration on postural balance

BackgroundImpairments in proprioceptive mechanism with aging has been observed and associated with fall risk. The purpose of the current study was to assess proprioceptive deficits among high fall risk individuals in comparison with healthy participants, when postural performance was disturbed using low-frequency mechanical gastrocnemius vibratory stimulation.MethodsThree groups of participants were recruited: healthy young (n = 10; age = 23 ± 2 years), healthy elders (n = 10; age = 73 ± 3 years), and high fall risk elders (n = 10; age = 84 ± 9 years). Eyes-open and eyes-closed upright standing balance performance was measured with no vibration, and 30 and 40 Hz vibration of both calves. Vibration-induced changes in balance behaviors, compared to baseline (no vibratory stimulation) were compared between three groups using multivariable repeated measures analysis of variance models.ResultsOverall, similar results were observed for two vibration frequencies. However, changes in body sway due to vibration were more obvious within the eyes-closed condition, and in the medial–lateral direction. Within the eyes-closed condition high fall risk participants showed 83% less vibration-induced change in medial–lateral body sway, and 58% less sway velocity, when compared to healthy participants (p < 0.001; effect size = 0.45–0.64).ConclusionsThe observed differences in vibration effects on balance performance may be explained by reduced sensitivity in peripheral nervous system among older adults with impaired balance.

Pelvic belts and pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain: influence on temporal and spatial gait parameters

ABSTRACT The aims of this study were to analyze temporal and spatial parameters of gait during pregnancy in women with and without PGP, to evaluate the effect of pelvic belts on temporal and spatial gait parameters, and to compare two types of belts. A total of 46 pregnant women with PGP, 58 healthy pregnant women and 23 non-pregnant women were recruited. Temporal and spatial parameters were analysed by an walkway. Two pelvic belts for pregnant women were used. An analysis of variance for repeated measures were used. In pregnant women with PGP, compared to healthy pregnant women, gait cycle and stance phase times were lower and single support time was higher. Compared to the non-pregnant women, gait velocity and step length were lower. Stance phase and double support times were higher. During pregnancy, wearing a pelvic belt modified gait velocity, single support phase, step length, step width, stance phase and toe in/out in pregnant women with PGP. Gait adaptations in pregnant women with PGP showed nearly the same changes found in women without PGP. The belts had an effect on gait in pregnant women with PGP, probably through a biomechanical and proprioceptive mechanism.

Sinus tarsi: a proprioceptive organ?

Background Flexible flatfoot in children is one of the most common disorders in orthopedics. The mechanism of action of the subtalar implants used for correction of the deformity is still unclear. Purpose The aim of this study was to identify the neurohistological nature of the subtalar tissues in an attempt to clarify the mechanism of action of sinus tarsi implants used for correction of flexible flatfeet. Patients and methods From 46 patients (mean age 39 year, 26 male and 20 female), soft tissue material was excised from the sinus tarsi during operative intervention in the foot for different indications. The excised tissues were studied histologically with different staining methods. Results The histological examination revealed the presence of large amount of neural elements (mechanoreceptors) together with abundant elastic fibers in all of the excised subtalar tissues. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the sinus tarsi is a neurosensitive elastic organ and has a proprioceptive information mechanism. This may be of great value in the treatment of patients with flexible flatfeet using subtalar implants.

Proprioceptive Phenomenon With Involutional Ptosis: Evidential Findings in Anophthalmic Ptosis.

To determine the effect of ptosis on compensatory frontalis contraction in patients without visual input and to identify if a sensory stimulus contributes to brow elevation. A prospective study. Clinical photographs were measured by 2 masked oculoplastic surgeons to determine brow height in 8 patients with unilateral ocular prosthesis in 3 conditions: at baseline, after a gold weight was applied to the upper eyelid inducing acute ptosis, and with the gold weight plus topical anesthetic. The measured brow height was then compared between the 3 scenarios. Mean brow height increased after application of the gold weight when compared with baseline, and this difference reached significance (p = 0.012). After topical anesthetic was applied, the mean brow height decreased but not back to baseline. When mean brow height during the gold weight with topical anesthesia was compared with baseline and with the gold weight only scenarios, the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). Frontalis contraction is observed when acute ptosis is simulated in anophthalmic patients, confirming that a contracted visual field cannot be the only stimulus for compensatory brow elevation. A sensory or proprioceptive mechanism is suggested but not confirmed by the trend of reduction in brow elevation with topical anesthesia.

Proprioceptive ability at the lips and jaw measured using the same psychophysical discrimination task.

In the human face, the muscles and joints that generate movement have different properties. Whereas the jaw is a conventional condyle joint, the facial musculature has neither distinct origin nor insertion points, and the muscles do not contain muscle spindle proprioceptors. This current study aims to compare the proprioceptive ability at the orofacial muscles with that of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in 21 neuro-typical people aged between 18 and 65years. A novel psychophysical task was devised for use with both structures that involved a fixed 30.5mm start separation followed by closure onto stimuli of 5, 6, 7, 8mm diameter. The mean proprioceptive score when using the lips was 0.84 compared to 0.79 at the jaw (p<0.001), and response error was lower by 0.1mm. The greater accuracy in discrimination of lip movement is significant because, unlike the muscles controlling the TMJ, the orbicularis oris muscle controlling the lips inserts on to connective tissue and other muscle, and contains no muscle spindles, implying a different more effective, proprioceptive mechanism. Additionally, unlike the lack of correlation previously observed between joints in the upper and lower limbs, at the face the scores from performing the task with the two different structures were significantly correlated (r=0.5, p=0.018). These data extend the understanding of proprioception being correlated for the same left and right joints and correlated within the same structure (e.g. ankle dorsiflexion and inversion), to include use-dependant proprioception, with performance in different structures being correlated through extended coordinated use. At the lips and jaw, it is likely that this arises from extensive coordinated use. This informs clinical assessment and suggests a potential for coordinated post-injury training of the lips and jaw, as well as having the potential to predict premorbid function via measurement of the uninjured structure, when monitoring progress and setting clinical rehabilitation goals.

Biological modeling the undulatory locomotion of C. elegans using dynamic neural network approach

This paper provides an undulatory locomotion model of C. elegans to achieve the chemotaxis behaviors based on the biological neuronal and neuromuscular structure. The on-cell and off-cell mechanism, as well as the proprioceptive mechanism is incorporated into the locomotion model. The nervous system of C. elegans is modeled by a dynamic neural network (DNN) that involves two parts: head DNN and motor neurons. The head DNN perceives the outside concentrations and generates the undulatory wave to the body. The motor neurons are responsible for transiting the undulatory wave along the body. The body of C. elegans is represented as a multi-joint rigid link model with 11 links. The undulatory locomotion behavior is achieved by using the DNN to control the lengths of muscles on ventral and dorsal sides, and then using the muscle lengths to control the angles between two consecutive links. In this work, the relations between the outputs of DNN and muscle lengths, as well as the muscle lengths and the angles between two consecutive links, are determined. Furthermore, owing to the learning capability of DNN, a set of nonlinear functions that are designed to represent the chemotaxis behaviors of C. elegans are learned by the head DNN. The testing results show good performance of the locomotion model for the chemotaxis behaviors of finding food and avoiding toxin, as well as slight and Ω turns. At last, quantitative analyses by comparing with the experiment results are provided to verify the realness and effectiveness of the locomotion model, which could serve as a prototype for other footless animals.

Kinematics analysis and workspace investigation of a novel 2-DOF parallel manipulator applied in vehicle driving simulator

A novel two degree of freedom (DOF) parallel manipulator with 3 legs, which is applied in vehicle driving simulator, is proposed in this paper. Kinematics and workspace of the proposed parallel manipulator are systematically studied. The proposed mechanism with two rotations includes the bottom fixed platform, two servo electrical cylinders, one supporting pillar, the top platform and some joints. First the kinematics characteristics of the 2-DOF parallel manipulator are analyzed and geometric description are given. Second some analytic formulae are derived for solving inverse displacement and forward displacement for the two rotations of the proposed 2-DOF mechanism. Third workspace for this 2-DOF mechanism is constructed and analyzed. The analytic results are verified by its simulation mechanism to be consistent with the calculated ones. The proposed mechanism has very simple structure and low cost and can realize two rotations in space. An example is given using in proprioceptive mechanism of vehicle driving simulator.

The effect of prefabricated and proprioceptive foot orthoses on plantar pressure distribution in patients with flexible flatfoot during walking

Previous studies have suggested that orthoses with different constructions could alter gait parameters in flexible flatfoot. However, there is less evidence about the effect of insoles with proprioceptive mechanism on plantar pressure distribution in flatfoot. To assess the effect of orthoses with different mechanisms on plantar pressure distribution in subjects with flexible flatfoot. Quasi-experimental. In total, 12 flatfoot subjects were recruited for this study. In-shoe plantar pressure in walking was measured by Pedar-X system under three conditions including wearing the shoe only, wearing the shoe with a proprioceptive insole, and wearing the shoe with a prefabricated foot insole. Using the proprioceptive insoles, maximum force was significantly reduced in medial midfoot, and plantar pressure was significantly increased in the second and third rays (0.94 ± 0.77 N/kg, 102.04 ± 28.23 kPa) compared to the shoe only condition (1.12 ± 0.88 N/kg and 109.79 ± 29.75 kPa). For the prefabricated insole, maximum force was significantly higher in midfoot area compared to the other conditions (p < 0.05). Construction of orthoses could have an effect on plantar pressure distribution in flatfeet. It might be considered that insoles with sensory stimulation alters sensory feedback of plantar surface of foot and may lead to change in plantar pressure in the flexible flatfoot. Based on the findings of this study, using orthoses with different mechanisms such as proprioceptive intervention might be a useful method in orthotic treatment. Assessing plantar pressure can also be an efficient quantitative outcome measure for clinicians in evidence-based foot orthosis prescription.

Kinematics Simulation of Proprioceptive Mechanism for Vehicle Driving Simulator

A proprioceptive mechanism of vehicle driving simulator is proposed to realize pitch, roll and vibration action of vehicle driving simulator based on application foundation of proprioceptive mechanism. The proposed mechanism has very simple structure and a brief description of this mechanism is given. The proposed proprioceptive mechanism is established based on CATIA V5 platform by using the virtual prototyping technology. The CATIA V5 motion simulation model is used to simulate the proposed proprioceptive mechanism by setting the parameters of source motion input and motion interference and motion characteristic is analyzed to provide design basis. The kinematics simulation results show that the designed proprioceptive mechanism for vehicle driving simulator can realize the design requirements and complete the proprioceptive actions.

Long-term neuromuscular training and ankle joint position sense

Preventive effect of proprioceptive training is proven by decreasing injury incidence, but its proprioceptive mechanism is not. Major hypothesis: the training has a positive long-term effect on ankle joint position sense in athletes of a high-risk sport (handball). Ten elite-level female handball-players represented the intervention group (training-group), 10 healthy athletes of other sports formed the control-group. Proprioceptive training was incorporated into the regular training regimen of the training-group. Ankle joint position sense function was measured with the "slope-box" test, first described by Robbins et al. Testing was performed one day before the intervention and 20 months later. Mean absolute estimate errors were processed for statistical analysis. Proprioceptive sensory function improved regarding all four directions with a high significance (p<0.0001; avg. mean estimate error improvement: 1.77 degrees). This was also highly significant (p< or =0.0002) in each single directions, with avg. mean estimate error improvement between 1.59 degrees (posterior) and 2.03 degrees (anterior). Mean absolute estimate errors at follow-up (2.24 degrees +/-0.88 degrees) were significantly lower than in uninjured controls (3.29 degrees +/-1.15 degrees) (p<0.0001). Long-term neuromuscular training has improved ankle joint position sense function in the investigated athletes. This joint position sense improvement can be one of the explanations for injury rate reduction effect of neuromuscular training.

Two Hypothetical Nystagmus Procedures: Augmented Tenotomy and Reattachment and Augmented Tendon Suture ( Sans Tenotomy)

To review the hypothetical mechanism and therapeutic benefits of the four-muscle tenotomy and reattachment (T&R) procedure using knowledge accrued over the 10 years since its proposal; to describe an augmented tendon suture (ATS) technique to improve the procedure based on one of the originally suggested alternative methods (mechanical); and to hypothesize a new ATS procedure to achieve the same therapeutic benefits without extraocular muscle tenotomy or reattachment to the globe. Standard surgical methods were used. The T&R procedure damps and improves infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) waveforms, improves eXtended Nystagmus Acuity Function (NAFX) values, broadens the NAFX peak versus gaze angle, and damps slow eye movements but not saccades. The T&R procedure also damps acquired pendular and downbeat nystagmus, decreasing the patients' oscillopsia, and lowers the target acquisition time in INS. The T&R procedure directly affects only the enthesis of the tendon; there is idiosyncratic variation in the distribution of afferent fibers in the tendons. The ATS technique consists of placing several additional sutures in the tendon proximal to the tenotomy. Based on the hypothetical proprioceptive mechanism for the beneficial effects of the T&R procedure, the authors hypothesize that the ATS technique will maximize the therapeutic benefits and that an ATS procedure, using only tendon sutures without tenotomy, will duplicate the therapeutic effects of T&R. Eliminating the tenotomy component results in a simpler procedure more suitable for single-session, multi-muscle surgery that may be required for improving the waveforms of multiplanar nystagmus and less prone to cause complications.

Desert ants do not rely on sky compass information for the perception of inclined path segments

On their foraging excursions, desert ants (Cataglyphis fortis) navigate by means of path integration, exhibiting high precision even in undulating terrain. To avoid errors in their home vector the ants must measure the slopes of ascents and descents in their itinerary. This information is necessary to convert the distances actually walked on the slopes into the ground distance, which is the crucial parameter for vector navigation. However, it is as yet unknown how Cataglyphis perceives the slopes of inclines. We asked whether the ants gauge slopes by means of the changes in the sky's polarization pattern or the sun's position imposed by the unusual head posture when walking on inclines. During training on a ramp, we manipulated the sky compass cues available for the ants. If both sky compass cues, polarization pattern and sun position, were excluded during ramp training, the ants behaved in subsequent tests as if they had never encountered a slope. However, the presence of either of the two compass cues was sufficient for the ants to memorize the sloped path segment. In a third experiment, the supposed polarization cue was excluded by covering the training and test channels with a linear polarization filter. In these tests the ants clearly showed that they had perceived and memorized an ascent also without a change in the polarization pattern. Hence, changes in polarization perception can be ruled out as the crucial cue for gauging slopes, and we conclude that slopes are monitored by a, still unknown, proprioceptive mechanism.

A NOVEL CPG WITH PROPRIOCEPTION AND ITS APPLICATION ON THE LOCOMOTION CONTROL OF QUADRUPED ROBOT

This paper proposes a novel central pattern generator (CPG) model with proprioceptive mechanism and the dynamic connectivity mechanism. It not only contains the sensory information of the environment but also contains the information of the actuators and automatically tunes the parameters of CPG corresponding to the actuators information and inner sensory information. The position of the joints linked directly with the output of CPG is introduced to the CPG to find its proprioceptive system, spontaneously making the robot realize the actuator working status, further changing the CPG output to fit the change and decrease the influence of the problematic joints or actuators on the robot being controlled. So the damage would be avoided and self-protection is implemented. Its application on the locomotion control of a quadruped robot demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Neuropathic arthropathy of the knee associated with an intra-articular neurofibroma in a child

We describe a five-year-old child with neurofibromatosis type I who developed a Charcot knee. Infiltration of the joint by tissue associated with the disease caused damage to the proprioceptive mechanism and resulted in severe joint instability, accelerated destruction and development of neuropathic arthropathy.

Novel proprioceptive action in stepping down

A hypothesis is offered which extends the concept of proprioception to use information necessarily obtained during the first part of a complex motion (stepping down) to facilitate the second part. It is suggested that, when the leading foot of a normal person stepping down arrives at its destination, relevant proprioceptive information is used by the following foot in its descent, to render its movement more efficient. Analogy to another effort-minimizing proprioceptive mechanism and a possible mechanical manifestation of the hypothesis are given.

Proprioceptive mechanisms in the cruciate ligaments: an electromyographic study on reflex activity in the thigh muscles.

The hypothesis of a proprioceptive mechanism arising from mechanoreceptors in the cruciate ligaments and with efferences to the thigh muscles is investigated in an animal model. Electromyographic (EMG) studies of the quadriceps and hamstrings muscles were performed in six sheep anesthetized by intravenous injection of chloralose on applying static and dynamic shear forces to isolated fascicle bundles in the anterior (ACL) and posterior (PCL) cruciate ligaments at 200 to 500 N and 50 to 200 N/sec, respectively. With the help of an external fixator, the knee joint position was varied at 25 to 150 degrees. The relative preload of the anteromedial and posterolateral fascicles in the ACL and the anterior and posterior fascicles in the PCL induced by variation of the joint angle was measured with the help of strain gages. By static and dynamic loading of the anteromedial group of the ACL, EMG activity in the hamstrings increases significantly to 159 +/- 22 and 257 +/- 46 microV seconds, respectively (p < 0.001), with a simultaneous suppression of the quadriceps activity. Static and dynamic loading of the posterolateral ACL group results in a significant excitation of the quadriceps with mean potentials of 142 +/- 29 and 173 +/- 23 microV seconds, respectively (p < 0.001). Mechanical shear applied both to the anterior and posterior fascicles of the PCL induces a significant activation of the ipsilateral quadriceps muscles with a simultaneous inhibition of the hamstrings (p < 0.001). The quality of mechanical loading, i.e., static or dynamic shear, determines the degree of muscular recruitment significantly (p < 0.01). The joint angle contributes to a modulation in the quantitative EMG excitation. Linear regression analysis of the integrated EMG potential values and the amount of passive preload induced by the respective joint position results in a close correlation (r = + 0.78 to + 0.86). The results lead to the conclusion that a proprioceptive mechanism exists that arises from the cruciate ligaments and influences the tone in the thigh muscles. The degree of muscle excitation on mechanical ligament loading is modulated by the amount of preload in the ACL and PCL and the quality of load applied.