How many senses do we have? Most would answer five, with the confidence left to us by school books: sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. But contemporary science has dismantled this simplistic scheme. In 2021, molecular biologist Ardem Patapoutian received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for having identified the molecular channels responsible for such fundamental sensations as pressure, temperature… and proprioception. This finding not only opened up new avenues for medicine and neurobiology, but also brought back to light a sense forgotten by the general public: the one that allows us to know, without looking, where each part of our body is.
“When you close your eyes and touch your nose, you can do it thanks to proprioception.”
Patapoutian explains. And yet, most people don’t know they have this sense. In the researcher’s own words, “it is likely that more than 90% of the population has never heard this term, despite using it in every step they take, in every movement they execute”. The reason is simple: proprioception is never turned off, which is why we rarely think about it… until it stops working.
This silent sense, housed in our muscles, tendons and joints, is not only key to walking, running or balance. In complex sports like skiing, where the body continuously defies gravity, terrain and speed, proprioception becomes a tool for survival, control and sporting excellence.
How Piezo2 works and why this protein is so important
Until just two decades ago, science did not know how our cells sense touch or detect body position in space. This mystery began to be solved when Ardem Patapoutian and his team at the Scripps Research Institute identified a family of mechanical pressure-sensitive ion channels. Among them, the most relevant to proprioception is Piezo2, a protein embedded in cell membranes that acts as a detector of stretching and displacement in the body. This does not mean that it is the only one since TRP and other channels also respond to physical stimuli, but Piezo2 is the main proprioception-specific channel, with direct and selective activation in mechanosensitive sensory fibers. Its activation is ultrafast, direct and requires no biochemical intermediates.
What is Piezo2 and why is it so important?
Piezo2 is like a tiny sensor, a kind of “biological switch” that is activated when a part of our body moves, stretches or receives pressure. It is embedded in certain cells and, when it senses that something has moved (for example, a muscle lengthening or a joint rotating), it sends an electrical signal to the brain to instantly inform it of what is happening. Thanks to this, we know where our arms or legs are, even with our eyes closed.
Piezo2 is found in many key corners of the body, such as muscles, where it detects whether they are contracting or stretching. It is also in the tendons and joints, which inform it of changes in position or strain, and even in the skin and some internal organs, helping to further refine our body’s perception.
But science has gone even further. Scientists have experimented with mice that had this sensor “turned off”, and the result was clear: they lost their balance, did not coordinate their movements and could not stand upright. In humans, some people with mutations in the gene that produces Piezo2 suffer from a rare disorder: they need to constantly look at their hands or legs to be able to move them accurately. In other words, their body has lost that “internal GPS” that the rest of us take for granted.
Patapoutian himself sums it up simply:
“Without Piezo2, we would be unable to know what position our legs are in when walking or our hands when touching an object without looking at them.”
This scientific basis is essential to understand why proprioception is much more than an abstract concept: it is a vital function for any physical activity, and in the case of skiing, an invisible ally that makes the difference between control and falling.
Piezo2 and proprioception in skiing: why does training it make a difference?
In an environment as dynamic and unstable as the mountain, where the surface changes with every turn and balance is challenged every second, proprioception becomes an invisible but essential pillar. It’s not just about technique or strength: the body needs to instantly detect the position of the legs, arms and center of gravity to respond accurately, avoid falls and improve performance.
Several scientific studies have analyzed how specific training and skiing directly influence proprioception. Here are some key findings:
Proprioceptive improvement after a season on the slopes.
A study published in the journal Sensors in 2020 evaluated a group of 101 skiers and snowboarders during five weeks of mountain practice. The results were clear: the athletes improved their proprioceptive sensitivity, especially those who practiced snowboarding and mixed disciplines (people who combine skiing and snowboarding during the same season). The study used the AMEDA test, a recognized tool for assessing sensory accuracy and fine motor coordination.
This study concluded that “prolonged contact with variable surfaces such as snow favors the development of body position sense, improving stability and motor response”.
Balance is trained… and it shows
A systematic review by Zadic and Grosu (2023) analyzed 20 studies on skiing and neuromuscular training. Their conclusion: balance and proprioception training programs, both dry and on snow, significantly improve coordination, reaction time and injury prevention in athletes of all levels.
Furthermore, studies such as those by Theodosiou et al. have shown that introducing proprioceptive exercises in beginner skiers accelerates technical learning, reducing errors in key phases such as turning or speed control.
Therefore, skiing is not just about gliding with technique and considerable fitness; it is about tuning an “internal radar” that allows you to adapt to each slope, snow change or terrain irregularity without thinking about it. And that radar is proprioception.
That’s why proprioceptive training – whether in the form of balance exercises, unstable platforms, BOSU, dry work or simulators – should be considered a fundamental part of any skier’s physical preparation. Not only to improve performance, but also to prevent skiing and snowboarding injuries.
