Motor Control Flashcards
What is motor control?
The ability to regulate or direct the mechanisms essential to movement
Why is movement essential?
Movement is essential for activities such as walking, running, playing, eating, communicating, and working.
How does the nervous system interact with the body and environment?
The nervous system interacts with the body and environment to produce purposeful coordinated movement.
What are the key questions addressed by motor control?
- How does the CNS organize muscles and joints into coordinated movements?
- How is sensory information used to control movement?
- How do perceptions influence movement behavior?
What is Reflex Theory?
Reflex Theory
- The theory that reflexes are the building blocks of complex behavior and movement is controlled by stimulus-response.
What are the limitations of Reflex Theory?
- Cannot explain movements without sensory stimuli
- Fast or complicated movements
- How reflexes control higher centers.
What are the clinical implications of Reflex Theory?
- Use sensory feedback to control motor output
- Identify and prevent primitive reflexes
- Facilitate ‘normal’ movement patterns.
- Develop sequence
What is Hierarchical Theory?
The theory that the nervous system is organized as a strict hierarchy with descending levels of control, always ‘top down’.
What are the limitations of Hierarchical Theory?
Cannot explain…
- movements in the absence of sensory stimuli
- fast or complicated movements
- how reflexes can control higher centers.
What are the clinical implications of Hierarchical Theory?
Use sensory feedback to
- Control motor output
- Identify and prevent primitive reflexes
- Facilitate ‘normal’ movement patterns
- Develop sequence
What is Reflex-Hierarchical Theory?
Combines Reflex and Hierarchical theories, assuming motor control emerges from reflexes organized in hierarchical top-down levels of the CNS.
What are the limitations of Reflex-Hierarchical Theory?
- Cannot explain movements in the absence of sensory stimuli
- Cannot explain fast or complicated movements
- Cannot explain how reflexes can control higher centers.
What are the clinical implications of Reflex-Hierarchical Theory?
Use sensory feedback to…
- Control motor output,
- Identify and prevent primitive reflexes,
- Facilitate ‘normal’ movement patterns.
What is Neuro-Maturational Theory?
An extension of the reflex/hierarchical theory, suggesting motor skills develop as the nervous system matures.
What are the limitations of Neuro-Maturational Theory?
Minimizes the importance of other factors in development and assumes adults with neuro injuries must follow the same sequence as infants.
What are the clinical implications of Neuro-Maturational Theory?
Had a major impact on clinical practice, using neurofacilitation to deliver sensory stimuli to facilitate or inhibit motor behavior.
What is Motor Programming Theory?
The theory that the CNS is an active system with motor programs controlling the many degrees of freedom involved in performing an action.
What are the limitations of Motor Programming Theory?
Motor programs are not the sole determinant of action and do not account for MSK and environmental variables.
What are the clinical implications of Motor Programming Theory?
Shift from ‘treating’ to ‘teaching/training’, focusing on retraining movements needed for functional tasks.
What is Ecological Theory?
Focuses on how bodies interact with the environment to perform goal-oriented behavior, stressing the importance of perception for goal-directed movement.
What are the clinical implications of Ecological Theory?
Patients need to actively explore the environment to develop multiple ways to complete tasks.
What is Systems Approach?
Movement arises from the interaction of the individual, the task, and the environment.
Which motor control theory is the best?
No single theory is universally accepted; best to combine elements from many traditional and contemporary theories.
What factors are considered in ‘The Individual’ component of motor control?
Physical abilities/limitations including neuromuscular systems, biomechanical system, sensation, perception, cognition, and psychosocial factors.
