Body Position Senses

Definition

Body position senses, also known as proprioception, refer to our ability to sense the position and movement of our body parts relative to each other without relying on vision.

Related terms

Kinesthesia: This is the system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts. It's like knowing exactly how high you've lifted your arm or how far you've turned your head.

Vestibular Sense:

This refers to our sense of balance and spatial orientation for coordination of movement. Think about walking in a straight line while closing your eyes; that's vestibular sense at work!

Somatosensation: This is a broader term encompassing all sensations from our body tissues, including touch, temperature, pain, vibration, pressure and proprioception (body position).