We stand without falling by using silent senses from muscles and the balance organs of the inner ear to unconsciously detect and control our movements. Since the leg muscles provide both the force and the sense, and critically rely on good circulation, they are vitally important. I propose to study how these sensory and muscle functions are used to control balance, posture and stepping reflexes, making it easier to identify older people who will fall and design new preventative strategies.
Whether holding the arm still or standing, the brain uses a silent proprioceptive sense that unconsciously detects and controls our movements. Key sensory receptors for this sense are located within the muscles that are also contracting. This is a project to discover how proprioception is affected by muscle contraction and how this affects postural control. This will improve the management of many common disorders that affect movement and balance.