The effects of periodic and noisy tendon vibration on a kinesthetic targeting task.

Tendon vibration is used extensively to assess the role of peripheral mechanoreceptors in motor control, specifically, the muscle spindles. Periodic tendon vibration is known to activate muscle spindles and induce a kinesthetic illusion that the vibrated muscle is longer than it actually is. Noisy tendon vibration has been used to assess the frequency characteristics of proprioceptive reflex pathways during standing; however, it is unknown if it induces the same kinesthetic illusions as periodic vibration.