Kinesthesis

[Ready for Fall 2026]

Modified: 2026-07-29 2:44 PM CDST

• The kinesthetic sense receptors are located in the joints, muscles, and body.
  • The kinesthetic sense allows us to locate parts of our bodies without having to see them.

  • Adolescents who are in the midst of their growth spurt may show clumsiness.
  • They are growing so fast that they have not had time to adjust their perceptions to their new body dimensions.
  • Consequently, they are more likely to bump into things.
• Another dramatic example of the kinesthetic sense is phantom limb.
  • Many amputees report that they can still feel their limbs even though they have been removed.
  • Typical sensations are itching or burning pains.
  • The limb is gone, but the brain still thinks it is there.
  • For example, Ronald Reagan's (1965) biography was titled Where's the Rest of Me?
• The title came from a line in a movie, "King's Row" in which he played a young man whose legs were amputated by a sadistic doctor in revenge for loving his daughter.

See the dramatic final minutes of King's Row HERE