Rock Your Rehab Process with these simple Proprioceptive Exercises

In this capsule, excerpted from a recent Dry Needling Seminar, Dr Ivo talks about one of his proprioceptive sequences and the neurological reasoning behind it

Today we give away some of the farm with a great proprioceptive exercise sequence that we use ALL THE TIME.

Skill (proprioception), Endurance, Strength. In that order.

Try incorporating this simple and effective sequence into your rehab program and watch your results get even better!

Comparative effects of proprioceptive and isometric exercises on pain and difficulty in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomised control study. Ojoawo AO, Matthew O, Mariam HA.Technol Health Care. 2016 Jul 8. [Epub ahead of print]

Efficacity of exercise training on multiple sclerosis patients with cognitive impairments. Chenet A, Gosseaume A, Wiertlewski S, Perrouin-Verbe B. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2016 Sep;59S:e42. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2016.07.097.

Exercise strategies to protect against the impact of short-term reduced physical activity on muscle function and markers of health in older men: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Perkin OJ, Travers RL, Gonzalez JT, Turner JE, Gillison F, Wilson C, McGuigan PM, Thompson D, Stokes KA. Trials. 2016 Aug 2;17:381. doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1440-z.

Leg and trunk muscle coordination and postural sway during increasingly difficult standing balancetasks in young and older adults. Donath L, Kurz E, Roth R, Zahner L, Faude O.Maturitas. 2016 Sep;91:60-8. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2016.05.010. Epub 2016 May 27.

Hip proprioceptive feedback influences the control of mediolateral stability during human walking. Roden-Reynolds DC, Walker MH, Wasserman CR, Dean JC. J Neurophysiol. 2015 Oct;114(4):2220-9. doi: 10.1152/jn.00551.2015. Epub 2015 Aug 19.

Proprioceptive Training and Injury Prevention in a Professional Men's Basketball Team: A Six-Year Prospective Study. Riva D, Bianchi R, Rocca F, Mamo C.J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Feb;30(2):461-75. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001097.

Proprioceptive feedback contributes to the adaptation toward an economical gait pattern. Hubbuch JE, Bennett BW, Dean JC. J Biomech. 2015 Aug 20;48(11):2925-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.04.024. Epub 2015 Apr 23.

Salsa Dancing for Age related Functional Deficits.

Don’t dismiss it until you have tried it. For 3 years we did it here at The Gait Guys (and salsa was one of our favorites), so we know what it is all about … . the foot work, the amount of core stability needed, hip stability, lower abdominal skills, balance, proprio, vestibular accommodation etc. Dancing is no joke, and no you are not too cool to do it. Here in America we are the exception, not the rule. In most countries, after dinner, they push the tables to the sides and people dance the night away. In many countries, men dance. Looking to impress guys? Take some lessons. Looking to get your elderly clients active, set them up with your local dance studio and improve their health. 

- random thoughts from Dr. Allen

Their study’s conclusions: “Salsa proved to be a safe and feasible exercise programme for older adults accompanied with a high adherence rate. Age-related deficits in measures of static and particularly dynamic postural control can be mitigated by salsa dancing in older adults. High physical activity and fitness/mobility levels of our participants could be responsible for the nonsignificant findings in gait variability and leg extensor power.” - Granacher et al.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22236951

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m62CUqzdJRM