It’s a bit of a tongue twister, but it is one of the easiest way to explain the concept of motor control. Why is this so important?
It’s the cascade effect. Poor motor control lead to an…
→ inability to coordinate muscles with movement
→more pressure through passive structures (joints, ligaments)
→injury
But what is it exactly?
Motor Control Technical Explanation
According Roller et al (2012) in Contemporary Issues and Theories of Motor Control, Motor Learning, and Neuroplasticity, the production and control of human movement is a process that varies from a simple reflex loop to a complex network of neural patterns that communicate throughout the Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).
In simple terms…
connecting brain and body to produce movement
In clinic, the first step with any new injury is to work out the diagnosis. You need to know what you’re trying to fix right!
In my experience, this diagnosis can be loosely grouped into two categories:
1. The result of direct trauma
2. Behaviour and motor control
And guess what?
Direct trauma creates a change in behaviour and altered motor control….
I’m sure you’re starting to get an appreciation for just how important motor control is in how your body functions. I’d love to share with you a couple of examples to highlight this…
Motor Control and the Shoulder
You may be aware the shoulder is a ball and socket joint. Its structure is designed to provide freedom of movement.
Imagine a tennis ball sitting on a golf tee…
This allows movement in all planes – forward, backward, up, down, and internal/external rotation.
Holding the joint in place through movement is your rotator cuff. The role of these muscles is to pull the humeral head in various directions ‘stabilise’ the ball and socket joint as it moves through range..
If the control isn’t there…
We start to encounter problems:
Shoulder instability
Rotator cuff or bicep injury
Reduced shoulder rotation
Reduced scapular muscle activation
All of the above contribute to poor biomechanics and thus reduce control, quality of movement, stabilisation and efficiency. A motor control problem.
These dysfunctions then lead to common injuries like shoulder impingement. Pushing through the pain feeds the issue and can lead to greater injury, such as tendon or muscle tears and labral injuries.
Motor Control and the Pelvis
For those runners, heavy lifters or even dancers! Lack of pelvic control, whether it be forward/back or side to side, places increased stress on lower limb muscles and tendons.
For example; poor core activation during activity
leads to excessive anterior tilt of the pelvis,
the hamstrings work overtime…
overuse and tendinopathy or hamstring strains.
Another example at the hip…
Do you know someone who complains of knee pain walking up/down stairs or during a squat? I’ve had it myself!
Poor control and activation of the gluteus medius (muscle at the side of your butt) leads to
a drop of the hip on the same side
internal rotation of the upper leg (causing the knee to drop inwards)
increase load and force through the outside of the knee joint
pain and dysfunction.
Have you noticed the pattern?
Issues with motor control have a cascade type effect that almost inevitably ends up with some type of injury.
So the million dollar question…
Can You Fix a Motor Control Problem
Short answer is YES!
With a physio or chiro assessment, we determine what’s compromising your movement and provide treatment and rehabilitation to conquer the problem. The most important thing is that you do your homework!
This will allow you to move pain free, with more freedom of movement, control and efficiency!
The earlier you identify and work to correct a motor control problem the easier and quicker it is to fix…This begs the question:
How Do You Know If You Have a Motor Control Issue?
Be aware of how you move…
Do you take most of your weight through one leg?
Is it easier to rotate one way over the other?
Do you find ways to cheat with exercises?
Alternatively – get your movement assessed by someone who knows what to look for…