Proprioceptive hypersensitivity

Dear readers, let me introduce a new informative article, this time concerning proprioceptive hypersensitivity. This condition is a form of sensory processing disorder. The affected sense in then called proprioception.

What does that unfamiliarly sounding word actually mean? As we explained in the previous article called Senses, we aren’t limited just by sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. In fact, we perceive reality also by additional senses and one of them is our above mentioned proprioception. This sense is responsible for perceiving where our body and its parts are in the space without using our vision. Let’s make it clearer with the help of an easy test. Try to touch your big toe without looking at your leg. Most likely, you haven’t had any problem doing it. It basically demonstrates that we somehow “feel” where our body is also in those cases where our vision isn’t involved at all. Propriception is represented by exactly that feeling.

Sometimes it can happen that our brain doesn’t process proprioceptive stimuli correctly. Then, we may suffer from so called propriceptive hypersensitivity, the condition we're going to discuss now.

Let’s write down the main symptoms to make the whole concept clearer.

The disorder basically lies in the fact we are over responsive towards proprioceptive inputs. In other words, we’re extremely aware where our body is, so aware that it causes many troubles. We constantly feel the position of our arms or legs, we feel how much hunched our back is or to which side our body is deviated. Most of the body positions are uncomfortable for us because we just and simply feel our body too much. We’re also almost unable to get used to our position if it’s not pleasant. Therefore we frequently change the way how we sit, lie or stay. We often sit restlessly, constantly moving our legs and re-sitting again and again. We also toss and turn in the bad to find the right sleeping position for a long time. Sometimes, we may hold odd positions because they seem to us more comfortable than the conventional ones. We might also engage in odd movements like twisting our hands or hand flapping to get rid of unpleasant feelings. In addition, we're super aware of every movement we make. Together with extreme awareness of where our body is in space, it can lead to feeling of instability while walking or running and to insecurity in movement. In some cases, we can feel like trapped in our body and too limited by its boundaries. It may literally feel like our body is too small for us.

These are the most important signs of our condition. If you can see yourself in many of them, you might be hypersensitive toward proprioceptin. Living with such a condition can be challenging. That’s why it’s important to come up with some copping strategies which can make our lives more comfortable. Firstly, don’t hesitate to make our own set of movements which makes us feel better. Don’t be worry to engage in strange positions as well. Also try some relaxation techniques or  for example yoga exercise which can loosen our body so the tension caused by the feeling our body is too small may get milder.

I myself don’t suffer from this condition but I can clearly imagine how frustrating it can get. Never push yourself behind your boundaries and always try make yourself comfortable!

Do you believe this disorder may fit on you or anyone you know? Do you have any questions or notes? Would you like to share your opinion? Write us in the comment section bellow. Don’t forget, we’re here for you!