The Influence of Arm Posture on Wrist Proprioception and Hand Tracking Performance

Abstract

Proprioception is critical for fine motor control and is essential in occupations requiring high precision such as surgery, dentistry, and gaming. While previous research has highlighted the influence of posture on proprioceptive feedback, there remains limited understanding of how specific elbow positions and movement directions impact wrist proprioception and movement accuracy. The purpose of this study was to investigate how elbow posture (60°, 90°, and 120°) and movement direction (flexion/extension, radial/ulnar deviation, pronation/supination) influence proprioceptive acuity and tracking accuracy at the wrist. Twenty healthy young adults completed two experimental tasks under the three elbow postures: a joint position matching (JPM) task and a continuous tracking task. Proprioceptive outcomes included matching error and error bias, while motor control outcomes included mean tracking error and percent accuracy. Results showed that elbow angle did not significantly affect proprioceptive performance on the Joint Position Matching task, indicating relative robustness of wrist proprioception across mid-range postures. In contrast, movement direction significantly influenced outcomes, with flexion/extension producing greater variability and error than radial/ulnar deviation or pronation/supination. Tracking performance was more sensitive to elbow posture, with accuracy reduced at more flexed positions. This study provides novel evidence that proprioceptive processing at the wrist is more direction-dependent than posture-dependent under static conditions, while posture plays a larger role in dynamic motor accuracy. Findings highlight the importance of considering joint configuration and movement direction when designing ergonomic interventions, surgical training protocols, and rehabilitation strategies.