7 Exercises To Improve Proprioception & Stability

Proprioception is critical for efficient movement and safe interactions with our surrounding environment. It is a neurological program that comes primarily from sensory receptors that are found in your skin, joints, and muscles. These receptors allow for the identification of limb position and movement via neural signalling of a change in muscle, skin or joint stretch. To ensure the body is maintained in efficient and safe positions this system runs in a continuous loop of feed-forward and feedback inputs between sensory receptors throughout your body and your nervous system.
This video I show you 7 simple exercises you can use to enhance your proprioception.
if you have poor proprioception at a joint it dramatically increases your chance of an injury for joints will be placed in highly compromised positions. There are a number of potential reasons for proprioception impairments with the most common factor coming from a lack of movement. This is another reason why inactivity is such a big problem in modern society for many people do not move anywhere near enough to keep systems like this running at optimal levels.
However, other factors such as aging also affect proprioception and this is a big factor to be addressed with falls prevention for older adults. The risk of proprioception loss increases as we age due to a combination of natural age-related changes to the nerves, joints, and muscles but this loss can be slowed down considerably via a good strength training program that emphasizes functional movement. This is another reason why it is so important to keep exercising in your older years to avoid the loss of proprioception.
Injuries or medical conditions that affect the neuromuscular system can cause long-term or permanent proprioception impairment such as brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, strokes and Parkinson’s disease.
I have worked with many clients suffering with Multiple Sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, stroke and even cerebral paulsy and there is a significant loss of proprioception with their body that is noticeably seen when walking. Using exercises to enhance this can be very difficult and are often very scary to them as they feel vulnerable putting their body in those positions which helps to explain why they find walking so difficult.
The last factor that is very common relates to surgeries or injuries to a specific joint such as a joint replacement surgery, like hip replacements or knee replacements, as well as injuries like ankle sprains, ACL injuries, and shoulder dislocations where significant damage is created to all the supporting ligaments and tendons.
While the proprioceptive system does operate with your eyes open the easiest way to tap into it and try to develop is by closing your eyes. Remember how I explained in the beginning how this system goes into hyper-drive when you try to walk around in the dark? When you deliberately exercise with your eyes closed you are accessing this system immediately as the main source of feedback to the body is shut down! It has no choice but to enhance the proprioceptive system to provide feedback as to where it is in the environment but like anything it takes a lot of practice to make it perfect.
Obviously you have to be careful about your choice of exercise to ensure it is safe but at the same time still be able to provide the necessary challenge to stimulate the body to make adjustments and adapt.
Great articles to read with additional information relating to the exercises in this video are shown in the links below
Stability Training - How To Do It Correctly
noregretspt.co...
BOSU & Balance Boards Exercises
noregretspt.co...
Falls Prevention with Older Adults
noregretspt.co...
ACL Rehabilitation Exercises
noregretspt.co...
Using The Sensa Mat For Foot Stability
noregretspt.co...
How To Improve Walking
noregretspt.co...
For more detailed programs for knee pain, back pain, older adults, hip pain and shoulder pain check out the ONLINE SHOP by going to the website below
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