Week 5 - Impairment of coordination & balance-nature Flashcards
Coordination
The ability to solve any motor task, quick & accurate w/ flexibility + respect to the changing environment
Loss of coordination
of voluntary muscles to meet environmental demands (timing/amount of force they exert/mode of contraction, can’t turn on muscle at correct time)
Loss of fractionation of movement =
Refers to loss of ability to independently move fingers
Isolating a movement
2 biggest impairments that underly movement
- ) loss of strength
- ) loss of co-ordination
- both contribute to loss of function : decreased ability to perform activities
Impairments after brain damage:
Motor, sensory, language, perceptual cognitive, behavioural
How to increased coordination:
- Task-related training: part/modified
- Whole task training
- Training that increases flexibility/automaticity
How to promote flexibility/automaticity of performance
- Increase physical demand: speed, distance, accuracy requirements/ decrease or change BoS/ vary direction/ vary task or environment
- Increased cognitive demand: adding cognitive task
Assessments of coordination
LEMOCOT - objective
Step test
Dual or triple task performance
Balance
The ability to not fall; The ability to maintain the projection fo the body’s CoM w/in manageable limits of the BoS
Base of support
The area on the ground which is enclosed by the body’s supporting parts
- Stability increases as BoS increases
- Stability decreases as projection of CoG moves closer to perimeter of BoS
Balance - proactive mechanisms
Working out what level of threat we can cope with + making a judgement on whether we can do it or not (i.e. jumping/walking around a puddle)
Balance - predictive mechanisms
Predict what situations are likely to be like (i.e. concrete path that leads to grass, even before hitting grass we know surface is changing & we prep for it)
Balance - reactive mechanisms
Respond if the situation changes (i.e. when foot actually hits the grass we respond based on what the grass feels like)
Measurements of task performance (balance)
Balanced sitting, berg balance scale, step test
Postural adjustments
The muscle activity + segmental movements concerned w/ the preservation of stability.
They are anticipatory, specific to coming moving, + they are movements not just muscle activity
Balance input senses:
Proprioception, tactile sensation, vestibular, vision,
Proprioception
Sensory info about body + limb position movement that is transmitted to the CNS from the proprioceptors
- Assists in coordination
Tactile sensation
- Receptors in the skin: respond to pain, temp., touch, & pressure. (light touch/ sharp/ blunt)
- Provides info about the BoS’ contact w/ the environment
- Info may only be required in more challenging, changing environments
- Doesn’t raise to conscious unless we have a reason to
Vestibular
- Provides info about the bodies orientation + all directions movement.
- 3 semicircular canals in the inner ear/utricle
Vision
- Provides info about motion of the body relative to the environment
- Verticle alignment (upright or not)
- THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL SENSES
Standing biomechanics
Body moving over BoS thru rotation at ankle
Muscle onsets in reaching:
- Contract soleus 1st so that we do not fall forward
- Tib. ant. before calf when you want to accelerate quickly/grab something @ a large distance
Assessment of coordination tasks (smooth/jerky)
circles in air, supination/pronation, finger tapping, opposition, heel/shin, toe tapping, heel tapping, heel over leg (the # in 15 sec)
LEMOCOT Test
- Sitting @ 90 degrees, heel on blue dot on the ground
- Tap each blue dot in front for 20 seconds
- Testing speed / accuracy
