Muscle Sense

When you walk up a flight of stairs, do you have to look at your feet to be seure each will get to the next step? Most of us don't (an occasional stumble doesn't count), and for this freedom we can thank our muscle sense. Muscle sense is the brain's ability to know where our muscles are and what they are doing, without having to consciously look at them.

Within muscles are receptors called stretch receptors (proprioceptors or muscle spindles). The general function of all sensory receptors is to detect changes. The function of stretch receptors is to detect changes in the length of a muscle as it is stretched. The sensory impulses generated by these receptors are interpreted by the brain as a mental "picture" of where the muscle is.

We cabe aware of muscle sense if we choose to be, but usually we can safely take it for granted. In fact , that is what we are meant to do. Imagine what life would be lie if we had to watch every move to be sure that a hand or foot performed its intended action. Even simple activities such as walking or eating would require our constant attention.

There are times when we may become aware of our muscle sense. Learning a skill such as typing or playing the guitar involves very precise movements of the fingers, and beginners will often watch their fingers to be sure they are mocing properly. With practive, however, muscle sense again becomes unconscious, and the experienced typist or guitarist need not watch every movement.

All sensation is a function of brain activity, And muscle secse is no exception. The impluse for muscle sense are integrated in the parietal lobes of the cerebrum (conscious muscle sense) and in the cerebellum (unconscious muscle sense ) to be used to promote coordination.