Close your eyes. Then, put a finger on your nose.
It seems like a simple task but being able to tell where your body parts are without seeing them is an important skill known as proprioception.
Often called the “sixth sense,” proprioception is usually developed during early childhood, but certain factors, including neurological deficits, can impact proprioception from early years through adulthood.
As a rehabilitation technology company, Accelera is uniquely concerned with proprioception. We produce the world’s first wearable stochastic resonance (SR) device, the SR-100.
The SR-100 is a wearable medical device that uses randomized frequencies and amplitudes to boost natural signals that affect movement, including proprioception.
As a wearable medical device, the SR-100 is a powerful assistive device for cerebral palsy and other neurological deficits like brain injury, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.
What is Proprioception?
Simply put, proprioception is body awareness. It is the ability to know where your body parts are without seeing them and controlling their movements.
Your brain’s central nervous system uses information from proprioceptors (sensory receptors located in your muscles, tendons, and skin) to develop a complete picture of your body’s position and speed.
This data then informs the speed, force, and direction of your movements–making proprioception key to moving with precision, coordination, and balance. Proprioception is why you can write on a piece of paper without breaking the pencil!
Proprioception is key to everyday tasks like brushing your hair. You use your proprioceptive skills to know where the arm holding the brush is, find your hair, and brush your hair without using too much force.
Many factors can make developing and using proprioception harder, including sensory processing disorders like Autism and ADHD and sensory disorders that can accompany aging.
Someone may be struggling with proprioception if they experience:
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- Poor body awareness
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- Difficulty with motor planning and coordination
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- Difficulty with self-regulation and focusing
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- Poor posture
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- Sensory-seeking behaviors (actively bumping, crashing, kicking, or jumping)
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- Misjudgment of the amount of force necessary to complete a task
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- Excessive clumsiness
Difficulties in proprioception can be addressed using various treatments, including wearable medical devices.
Taking Proprioception to the Next Level: Hand-Eye Coordination
Proprioception is also a building block of an important and much more famous skill: hand-eye coordination.
You may remember hand-eye coordination exercises from elementary school gym class, like throwing and catching balls, but hand-eye coordination is important for tasks as simple as picking up a fork.
Hand-eye coordination is a skill that allows your eyes, brain, and hands to communicate. The eyes get visual input, the brain processes this information and sends instructions to the hands, and then the hands carry out the task.
Hand-eye coordination encompasses a variety of other skills, including:
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- Proprioception
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- Visual tracking
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- Visual discrimination
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- Motor skills
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- Motor planning
Hand-eye coordination isn’t just important for physical tasks. A study from the University of Leeds found that children with better hand-eye coordination also had a better reading, writing, and math skills.
Accelera’s SR-100: A Neurostimulator Device to Improve Movement and Proprioception
How can Accelera help with proprioception and hand-eye coordination?
Our SR-100 wearable medical device has been scientifically proven to improve the ease and efficacy of movement by top-tier institutions like the Wyss Institute at Harvard University and Virginia Commonwealth University.
SR-100 uses a randomized series of frequencies and amplitudes known as stochastic resonance. These gentle vibrations engage with your proprioceptors, making it easier to recognize and process your sensory signals, with no contraindications.
Accelera packages SR technology in a strap that can be worn on the arm, wrist, leg, or ankle. It is comfortable enough for everyday use as a wearable assistive device for cerebral palsy, diabetes, brain injury, or other neurological deficits.
By improving proprioception, SR-100 increases independence, confidence, freedom, and overall quality of life for those who use it.
The SR-100 has effective clinical and personal uses, making it a must-have tool for occupational therapists, physical therapists, physical medicine physicians, and wellness centers.
Our unique, patented, and scientifically validated SR-100 makes Accelera America’s number-one rehabilitation technology company. Whether you are looking for greater freedom for yourself, your loved ones, or your patients, contact us t