Pop Quiz... How many senses do humans have? 5 right, wrong. You probably grew up hearing a lot about vision, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. But there are actually 5 more senses...6) Pain, 7) Temperature, 8) Visceral, 9) Proprioception, 10) Vestibular. I wonder if you've ever even heard of the last two (don't think I did before OT school.) But these two hidden senses are essential to our bodies functioning, movement, and learning.
Proprioception tells us where our bodies are in space, based on information detected in the muscles & joints. (Try to touch your finger to your nose with your eyes closed. Is your proprioceptive sense working?)
Your vestibular system provides the dominant input about our movement and orientation in space, based on receptors located in the inner ear. It is responsible for our ability to balance, to climb stairs, to walk easily, to adjust to changing levels, to react promptly, (recover our balance) when we step in a hole.
So be grateful, thank your hidden senses today! Tomorrow's lesson (Sensory 202) will focus on the integration of all these senses.
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