Kinesthetic Awareness Self-Test

Here are four simple ways to check your kinesthetic awareness. You may need to repeat the movements a number of times before you can sense the muscle group involved. If you are unable to sense a muscle group, it may be too contracted to function properly, and therefore you do not feel it.

1. In the prone position: Slowly raise one leg 6 to 10 inches off the floor. Can you sense your lumbar spinal muscles working as you lift your leg? If so, can you feel that they make most of the effort of lifting the leg, with the buttocks muscles being secondary and the right leg muscles being tertiary?

2. In the supine position: Rotate both of your legs laterally, so that your feet turn out. Can you sense the deep lateral hip rotator muscles doing most of the work, with the effort of leg muscles being secondary? The lateral hip rotators can be sensed in the posterior hip, roughly between the greater trochanter and the sacrum. If you cannot sense this, have someone hold your feet to resist your movement, or else try it in the standing position.

3. In the supine position: with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, very slowly raise both feet about 6 inches off the floor. Can you sense your iliopsoas muscles (the hip flexors) working? You may also feel your abdominal muscles engage, but the iliopsoas will be sensed deeper, along the front of your lumbar spine and pelvis.

4. In the supine position: With your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, relax your abdominal muscles as you inhale, so your belly inflates like a balloon, then hold your breath. While continuing to hold your breath, pull your belly in so the balloon of air gets pushed up into your chest. If your chest expands fully then it means you can sense and isolate your transverse abdominal muscles.

—Craig Williamson