What is Osseoperception?

What is osseoperception? After osseointegration surgery, the patient regains their sense of proprioception – the unconscious perception of the position of the body, movement, and spatial orientation in relation to the external environment.  

Proprioception is an important sense, allowing us to be aware of the movements and locations of our body parts. It involves both external signals from sensory receptors on muscles, skin and joints as well as internal signalling regarding motor output.

This complex sensation contributes heavily towards forming a cohesive image about oneself in space – including judging limb position/movement, force exerted, etc.

Crucially it also affects movement control; thus proprioception holds great potential when enhancing physical performance or restoring function post-injury.

This means that osseointegration patients regain the ability to feel the ground beneath them as they walk and can differentiate between different surfaces such as grass, carpet, tile, uneven ground, and gravel.

It also means the patient does not need to look at the prosthesis to know where it is.

This allows for safer and more confident movement even in unfamiliar areas or dim light.