Reimagining proprioception: when biology meets technology

Researchers from the Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Tongji University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Fudan University, and the University of Sydney synthesize years of proprioception research with frontier bionic evidence such as osseointegrated neural prosthetics, to propose a disruptive framework of the reconceptualization of proprioception. Their findings were made available online in the Journal of Sport and Health Science on January 01, 2026.

Led by Professor Jia Han from the Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Tongji University, and RMIT University, the international team revisits the long-standing sensorimotor-loop model and highlights a persistent limitation: conventional, task-specific rehabilitation often reaches a therapeutic ceiling, rarely restoring proprioceptive performance to pre-injury levels and even less often delivering gains beyond normal capacity. The authors also note a parallel constraint in sport: proprioceptive acuity appears more closely aligned with achieved performance than with years of sport-specific training, suggesting that trainability may be limited within native biological hardware.

A key catalyst for this reconceptualization comes from frontier work in bionic integration and neuroprosthetics. The paper draws in part on a 2025 Science report from MIT’s Tong Shu and Hugh Herr group on osseointegrated mechanoneural prostheses. “The stimulus for this rethinking of proprioception was the landmark Shu et al. (2025) study in above-knee amputees,” says Adjunct Professor Roger Adams from the University of Sydney. “By reconnecting agonist–antagonist muscle pairs through a myoneural interface and integrating those signals into an osseointegrated mechanoneural prosthesis, the device was no longer merely ‘attached’ as a tool—it became embedded and, in a sense, ‘owned’ by the user.” Prof. Adams notes that this shift matters because ‘the new signals came to be treated as proprioception, enabling functional movement in ways that challenge traditional assumptions.’ In that work, post-amputation control and discrimination in some domains could match—or even exceed—performance of an intact biological limb, underscoring that artificially generated signals can be integrated by the central nervous system and function as proprioceptive information. He also highlights a near-term research priority: “developing an accurate measurement system for enhanced proprioceptive capacity.”

“As a former professional figure skater and aerobic gymnast, I sustained multiple severe ankle and knee injuries throughout my athletic career. These experiences led me to recognize the crucial role of proprioception in athletic performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation,” says Professor Jia Han, the first and corresponding author of the study. He explains that when he entered proprioception research with an engineering background, he encountered skepticism from some neurophysiologists who contended that “not everyone can study proprioception.” “I was fortunate to receive the trust and guidance of my three PhD supervisors—a physiotherapist, a physiologist, and a psychologist,” he adds. “This interdisciplinary collaboration fostered novel ideas and theoretical frameworks, including the opinion paper presented here.” Inspired by Shu et al., Han says, “Our proposed framework reconceptualizes proprioception from a ‘fixed biological loop’ to a ‘dynamic augmentable interface.’” He concludes, “In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, researchers from diverse disciplines can meaningfully contribute to the study of proprioception, advancing human health and performance.”

From a clinical perspective, Dr. Xiao’ao Xue of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, underscores the practical relevance, “In sports medicine practice, proprioception may be the most difficult to improve and restore in a targeted way. One reason may be that our understanding remains incomplete.” He notes that Prof. Han and colleagues have conducted extensive pioneering work across multiple populations—including sports injuries, neurological diseases, and athletes—and that this breadth of evidence informs a new framework with direct clinical relevance. “Of course, further work is needed to test and validate the new theory,” Xue adds, “but the beauty of a theoretical hypothesis is that it can be a guiding light through uncertainty, pointing us toward the next steps.”

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Reference
DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2025.101121

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