Have you ever wondered how you can walk across uneven ground without constantly looking at your feet? Or how you can catch a falling object before you’ve even had time to think about it?
These everyday movements might seem automatic, but behind the scenes, your nervous system is constantly working. It receives information from your muscles, joints and surrounding tissues, helping your brain understand where your body is and how it needs to respond.
This process connects proprioception and movement, allowing your brain and body to work together for better balance, coordination and physical performance. When that communication becomes less reliable, even familiar movements can feel more challenging.
Your Brain Needs More Than Instructions
We often think of the nervous system as a one-way communication system. Your brain sends instructions to your muscles, and your body responds. But that’s only half the story.
For your body to move efficiently, your brain also needs constant feedback about what’s happening throughout your body. This incoming sensory information is known as afferent input. Specialised receptors in your muscles, tendons, joints and skin continuously detect changes in movement, position, pressure and tension. They send this information through sensory nerves to your spinal cord and brain, where it helps guide your next movement.
Think about carrying a heavy shopping bag. As the weight shifts, your nervous system detects those changes and adjusts muscle activity to help maintain your balance. Without accurate sensory feedback, even simple movements would become much more difficult.
Proprioception and Movement: Your Body’s Built-In GPS
One of the most fascinating aspects of sensory feedback is proprioception, sometimes described as your body’s sixth sense. Proprioception allows your brain to recognise the position and movement of your body without needing to look. It’s what helps you touch your nose with your eyes closed, maintain your balance while walking, or adjust your footing during a workout.
Your brain combines proprioceptive information with signals from your eyes and inner ear to create an ongoing picture of where your body is in space. When this information is accurately processed and integrated, your movements can become smoother, more coordinated and more adaptable. However, pain, injury, fatigue and certain musculoskeletal conditions can affect proprioceptive processing. As a result, movements may feel less controlled or require greater conscious effort.
How Your Spine Contributes to Brain-Body Communication
Your spine does much more than support your body and protect your spinal cord. The muscles and joints surrounding it also provide important sensory information about posture and movement.
Every time you turn your head, bend forward or adjust your sitting position, receptors in these tissues send feedback to your central nervous system. This information contributes to your brain’s understanding of body position and helps coordinate muscle activity.
Interestingly, chiropractic researchers have explored how spinal adjustments may influence this sensory communication. A review published in the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology examined the relationship between spinal adjustments, sensorimotor integration and motor control. Researchers Heidi Haavik and Bernadette Murphy (2012) discussed evidence suggesting that spinal adjustments may influence how the central nervous system processes sensory information and controls movement. [1]
Better Movement Starts With Better Body Awareness
The good news is that your nervous system is adaptable. Regular movement, balance exercises, strength training and activities that challenge coordination can help develop proprioceptive awareness.
Even simple activities like standing on one leg, walking across uneven surfaces or practising controlled movements can challenge your brain to process sensory feedback and respond appropriately.
Your daily posture matters too.
Spending hours in the same position can contribute to stiffness and reduced movement variety. Taking regular breaks and changing positions gives your muscles and joints opportunities to move through different ranges. Rather than focusing on maintaining one perfect posture all day, aim to move frequently and comfortably. These small habits can help you develop greater awareness of how your body moves throughout the day.
Supporting the System That Controls Your Movement
Whether you’re playing sport, working at a desk, chasing after the kids or simply trying to stay active as you age, efficient movement relies on constant communication between your brain and body. Your nervous system doesn’t just tell your muscles what to do. It listens, interprets and adjusts with every movement you make. This is why proprioception and movement are so closely connected. Your brain needs reliable sensory information to help coordinate your body’s response.
Chiropractic care focuses on spinal and joint function, which may form part of a broader approach to supporting comfortable movement, mobility and body awareness.
At Hibiscus Chiropractic, we look beyond symptoms to understand how your spine, nervous system and movement patterns are functioning together.
Want to understand how well your body is moving?
Book a consultation to explore how personalised chiropractic care and movement advice may support your mobility and confidence in everyday activities. Because moving well isn’t just about having strong muscles. It’s about having a brain and body that communicate effectively.
Sources:
[1] Haavik, H., & Murphy, B. (2012). The role of spinal manipulation in addressing disordered sensorimotor integration and altered motor control. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 22(5), 768–776.