Proprioception is the body's sense of its own position and movement. It is provided by specialised receptors in the muscles, tendons, and joints that detect stretch, compression, and pressure. Often called the "sixth sense" or "hidden sense," proprioception is fundamental to movement, coordination, body awareness — and sensory regulation. The jaw is one of the richest sources of proprioceptive input in the entire body, which is why chewing is such a powerful regulatory tool.
Key Takeaways
- Proprioception is the sense of body position, muscle load, and joint pressure
- Detected by mechanoreceptors in muscles, tendons, and joints — not a conscious process
- Often called the "most regulating" of the 8 senses — calms over-arousal and increases alertness in under-arousal
- The jaw muscles are among the most powerful proprioceptive organs in the body
- Chewing generates a rich stream of proprioceptive signals to the brainstem and cortex
- A chew necklace is essentially an on-demand proprioceptive tool for the oral system
The Sixth Sense — Not the Hollywood Kind
Proprioception has nothing to do with extrasensory perception. It is a genuine, scientifically well-understood sensory system. It is sometimes called the sixth sense because it is not one of the "classic five" — and because it operates largely below conscious awareness.
Try this: close your eyes and touch your nose with your index finger. You can do it accurately — not because you can see your hand, but because your proprioceptive system is continuously tracking where every part of your body is in space. This is proprioception in action.
Where Proprioceptive Information Comes From
Proprioceptive signals are generated by three types of mechanoreceptors:
- Muscle spindles: thread-like receptors within muscle tissue that detect how much the muscle is stretched and how fast
- Golgi tendon organs: located at the junction of muscle and tendon, detecting the load or tension on a muscle
- Joint receptors: various receptor types in joint capsules and ligaments, detecting the position and movement of joints
Together, these receptors provide the brain with a continuous, detailed map of the body's position and the forces acting on it. The information travels to the brainstem, cerebellum, and sensory cortex — where it is integrated with input from the vestibular system and other senses to produce coordinated movement and body awareness.
Why Proprioception Is the Most Regulating Sense
Occupational therapists consistently describe proprioceptive input as the most reliably regulating type of sensory input. Unlike visual or auditory input, which can be overwhelming or understimulating depending on the environment, proprioceptive input from active muscle use tends to bring the nervous system toward a calm, organised state regardless of the person's starting arousal level.
This bidirectional quality — calming when over-aroused, alerting when under-aroused — makes proprioceptive activities unusually versatile as regulatory tools. Activities commonly recommended by occupational therapists for their proprioceptive value include:
- Heavy work: carrying books, pushing furniture, climbing
- Deep pressure: weighted blankets, compression clothing, firm hugs
- Joint compression: jumping, stomping, bear hugs
- Oral proprioception: chewing, blowing through a straw, sucking thick liquid
The Jaw as a Proprioceptive Powerhouse
The muscles of mastication — the masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and lateral pterygoid — are among the strongest muscles in the human body relative to their size. The masseter, which closes the jaw, can exert a force of up to 200–500 newtons. These powerful muscles are richly innervated with proprioceptive receptors — both muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs.
When you chew, this network of receptors sends an intense, rhythmic stream of proprioceptive signals to the brainstem via the trigeminal nerve (the main sensory nerve of the face and jaw). This signal is one of the strongest and most reliable proprioceptive inputs available to the body.
This is why:
- Chewing is a natural human stress response — we chew when we concentrate, when we are anxious, when we are making decisions
- People unconsciously seek oral proprioceptive input by chewing pens, nails, clothing, and straws
- Chewing is associated with improved attention and reduced cortisol in research settings
- A chew necklace is one of the most effective tools for meeting an oral sensory need
Proprioception and ADHD
Many children with ADHD have a heightened need for proprioceptive input — they seek it through movement, rough play, and chewing. This is not wilful misbehaviour; it is the nervous system seeking the regulatory input it needs. Providing structured, appropriate sources of proprioceptive input — including a chew necklace — can significantly reduce the disruptive seeking behaviours.