How to Avoid Athletic Injury With Motor Control Training 4 tips to better control of your body.
When you throw a baseball, shoot a soccer goal or jump while running to go over a curb, your brain tells your muscles and joints to produce the movement you want. Did you know those pathways are a two-way street? Your brain is always receiving signals from your body and your environment that can dramatically impact movement. In the case of the kicking a field goal, for example, your pattern of movement changes depending on how far you need to kick the ball and where you need to aim it. This two-way body-brain communication is, essentially, what exercise scientists call motor control and motor learning. Strongmotor control combined with a very competitive nature can distinguish top athletes. Poor motor control may also be an underlying reason for faulty movement and injury. Training the input and output to the brain can improve movement in all of us at any age. Here are four ways you can enhance your motor control – whether you want to run a marathon or simply feel more comfortable in your daily life: 1. Evaluate your movement and posture One of the most important factors to howwe move is howwe don’t move. We live in a culture that confines us to postures like sitting at computers, driving in cars and looking at tablet and phone screens. Sustaining those stationary positions most of the day affects your ability to move when you do. For example, if you sit all day, you shut off important muscles necessary for movement like your glutes. If you look down at a screen all day and develop “tech neck,” you affect the muscles in your neck, which has a direct effect on shoulder and lower back function, and ultimately alters the way you move. Maintaining positions for long periods of time also predisposes muscles to be overused or underused; or over- lengthened or over-shortened, which can lead to pain and dysfunction. The most effective ways to overcome this issue is to evaluate how you move. Evaluate how you do everyday activities like sitting, bending and reaching. If you have trouble or pain with simple movements like reaching for something, performing more rigorous activities like running or participating in sports will likely be even more troublesome. 2. Pay attention to your body When you exercise, please don’t just daydream; think about what parts of your body are working and how. For example, create a vision in your head of how your joints are aligned, then visualize how your body would move when you lift a specific weight. This type of visualization method can help
you target the correct muscles and give a break to muscles you might be using too much. We are often distracted while we are moving, which enables bad habits to form. Paying attention to how you perform movements will improve your workouts, and also give you more energy. 3. Use a mirror when you workout You might not realize you’re not moving properly if you don’t use a mirror for visual feedback while you exercise. Look at your posture and how your body moves. If you haven’t used certain muscles throughout the day, you may notice that your body has tried to compensate by activating others that aren’t necessary, which can put you at risk for injury. For example, if your shoulders raise up when you lift your arms overhead, focus on keeping your shoulder blades relaxed. Keeping a watchful eye on your form will help you tap into the correct muscles that should control the motions. 4. Practice, practice, practice! The more you practice good form, the easier it will be to maintain. Working with an exercise specialist like a physical therapist, certified personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach can help by teaching you how to activate specific muscles and break up faulty movement patterns. Movement is a learned skill, and sometimes we need expert instruction to improve.
Adapted from a story by by Skye Donovan, Contributor | March 22, 2017, at 10:27 a.m. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2017-03-22/how-to-prevent-athletic-injury-by-training-your-brain
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