Effect of Illusory Kinesthesia Induced by Tendon Vibration on Proprioception

Abstract

[Purpose] Recently, the importance of proprioceptive function has been indicated for prevention of trauma. For the intrinsic sensory function, the function of the intrinsic sensory receptors existing in the periphery plays an important role, but it is important that the afferent information from the intrinsic sensory receptors is transmitted to the cerebral cortex. Focusing on the vibration stimulus that can induce brain movement illusion, the purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of vibration stimulation on knee joint inherent sensation. [Subjects and Methods] The knee joint position sense of 26 healthy knees was measured before and after rest, vibration stimulation, and isometric muscle contraction. To measure joint position sense, the knee was flexed at an angular velocity of 0.25°/sec from knee flexion of 90° and the error was measured at the target angle of 105°. The vibration stimulation site was the distal composite tendonus of the quadriceps muscle, and the frequency was 90 Hz. Comparisons were made before and after each intervention and between the conditions. [Results] After the vibration stimulation and muscle contraction interventions, the measurement error angle became small (p<0.05), and intrinsic sense improved. [Conclusion] The results show that illusory kinesthesia induced by local vibration stimulation improved the proprioceptive function of the knee joint.