Chapter 1

The night seemed quite normal.

He had gone for his evening walk as usual stopped at Erny’s for his groceries and had returned home to meet Mrs Stephan locking up for the day. The sky was quite its normal starless beauty this time of the year, he got to his door itching for a bath as he fumbled for his keys and then his phone rang. Opening the door he lifted the phone to his ear, ‘Mr Phil… is this Mr Phil?’ the voice on the other end seemed quite shaky, obviously the caller wasn’t that composed. Feeling slightly uneasy about the call and the caller’s interest in his identity Marc hesitated enough to get into the comfort of his living room and drop off the keys on his reading table before giving a rather cautious response, ‘who’s asking?’

Everyone knew the Munroes. Aside from the over a zillion fundraisers that they have single-handedly funded and the many other charitable meets, they were generally large-hearted and peace loving people.

Jacob looked over the document for the final time decided he agreed with its content then signed just below where the secretary had entered his name. He knew he had to keep this family together no matter the cost. He was not happy with the way the family was gradually tearing apart; he has not been a happy man for quite a while now. People loved and respected the Munroes, it had been a legacy that had stayed in the family for centuries. They were noble people and they just couldn’t be seen in a negative light. It worried him how life had always thought him to face his challenges; one by one he had faced them however it went and he had been pretty successful, this one he couldn’t.

The boys had been the difficult ones raising, they were strong willed stubborn and daring; qualities he knew they had got from him. He wasn’t perfect, a man should never be easily swayed and he knew first hand judging from how he turned out that they only needed guidance while teaching them family values and etiquette which they had to have alongside. But boy did they trouble him!

Marcian Felipe Munroe was by far the most difficult human he had had to live with, it seemed the kid saw tormenting him a sport but look how he turned out, he encouraged himself. He was tough and they knew it and he believed even though they may not openly acknowledge it, they were grateful he was. His boys were gentlemen, well respected and recognised.

His girls worried him, the family name he had kept untarnished, the one he constantly threatened his boys upheld was now close to being reproached.

As he sat there pen still in hand a big frown across his face he could already imagine the front page headline of all the major newspapers in the state, it would be about the Munroes but not for the right reason. This one would destroy everything. It would destroy him.

What is proprioception?

What is Proprioception

 

 

 

Everyone learns in school about the five senses: vision (sight), audition (sound), olfaction (smell), taction (touch), and gustation (taste). These senses are responsible for our interaction with the external world. Additionally, we have several senses that are responsible for our internal functioning. One of the most important internal senses is called proprioception, or position sense. Proprioception affects our lives every moment of every day, and allows us to accomplish complex tasks that would otherwise be impossible. The sense is so fundamental to our functioning that we take its existence for granted.


Proprioception allows humans to control their limbs without directly looking at them. Take, for example, the complex task of driving. We are able to keep our eyes on the road and simultaneously adjust our arms and hands on the steering wheel, and apply the appropriate amount of pressure to the pedals to maintain speed. Talented drivers can also change the radio station, eat small meals, reach for something in the rear seat, or any host of other tasks while maintaining eye contact with the road ahead. If humans had to observe their limbs to successfully accomplish tasks, we would have to look down at our feet every time we wanted to change from gas to brake, or stare at our arms if we wanted to make a right turn. The distraction would make driving nearly impossible.


Human beings do not have a single organ for proprioception. Instead, the sense is processed by the entire nervous system as a whole. Inside every muscle and joint lie tiny meters called muscle spindles and Golgi tendons that constantly measure the amount of tension and degree of contraction. This information travels up a discreet highway in the spinal cord called the spinocerebellar tract, and makes its way to the cerebellum. The cerebellum accepts information from every muscle and joint in the body, and calculates where the limbs must be in space. The system is not perfect, but gives a rough estimate to allow for basic task completion. We can use our vision to confirm limb position for more technically demanding tasks.


Like most physiological processes, proprioception can be improved with challenging practice, and can also be impaired by disease or disuse. A concert pianist can play incredibly complex music with their eyes closed because they have trained the proprioceptive sense of their fingers to be precise enough for the task. If that same concert pianist tried to play a piece they have never seen before, they would have to look at their hands to master a complicated section.
By contrast, patients who suffer from stroke often have difficulty with balance and coordination during their recovery. Proprioception is also impaired by diseases or injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system, like an ankle sprain or diabetic neuropathy. Patients suffering from these types of conditions are predisposed to falls and repeat injuries, which compounds problems. For this reason, physical therapists can work with patients on proprioceptive training to help gain a stronger position sense.


Training usually consists of working on uneven or irregular surfaces, and balancing on affected joints with a blindfold to remove visual confirmation. Although these exercises are demanding, patients can usually see functional benefits within a few weeks.