This document discusses motor control theories relevant to physical therapy. It defines motor control and explains why therapists should study this topic. It then covers several theories of motor control, including reflex, hierarchical, motor programming, systems, dynamic action, and ecological theories. For each theory, it provides details on the core concepts, limitations, and clinical implications. The document emphasizes that no single theory can fully explain motor control and that combining elements from multiple theories may provide the most complete understanding of this complex topic.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
STUDENTS WILLBE ABLE TO –
DEFINE MOTOR CONTROL, AND DISCUSSITSRELEVANCE TO THE CLINICAL
T/T OF PATIENTS WITH MOVEMENT PATHOLOGY
.
DISCUSSHOW FACTORS RELATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL, THE TASK,AND THE
ENVIRONMENT AFFECT THE ORGANIZATION AND CONTROL OFMOVEMENT.
ENUMERATE THE THEORIES OF MOTOR CONTROL AND ITSVALUETO
CLINICAL PRACTICE
COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE NEUROFACILITATION APPROACHES TOTHE
TASKORIENTED APPROACH.
3.
INTRODUCTION
•DEFINITION:
MOTOR CONTROL ISDEFINEDAS THE ABILITY TO REGULATE OR DIRECT
THE MECHANISMS ESSENTIAL TO MOVEMENT.
•THE FIELD OF MOTOR CONTROL ISDIRECTEDAT
:
STUDYING THE NATURE OF MOVEMENT
HOW MOVEMENT ISCONTROLLED.
4.
WHY SHOULD THERAPISTSTUDY MOTOR CONTROL?
•DIRECTED AT CHANGING MOVEMENT OR INCREASING THE CAPACITY TO
MOVE.
•STRATEGIES- DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF
POSTURE AND MOVEMENTS ESSENTIAL TO FUNCTION.
5.
NATURE OF MOVEMENT
•MOVEMENTEMERGES FROM INTERACTION OF THREEFACTORS:
“THE INDIVIDUAL, THE TASKAND THE ENVIRONMENT”.
TASK
M
ENVIRONMENT
INDIVIDUAL
• BUT WHATTASKSSHOULD BE TAUGHT?
• IN WHAT ORDER?
• WHAT TIME?
• THUS UNDERSTANDING OF TASKATTRIBUTES CAN PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR STRUCTURINGTASKS.
• TASKSCAN BE SEQUENCED FROM LEAST TO MOST DIFFICULT BASED ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP TOA
SHARED ATTRIBUTE..
• CONCEPT OF GROUPING AND CLASSIFYINGTASKS
FUNCTIONAL TASKGROUPINGS.
ACCORDING TO CRITICAL ATTRIBUTES.
MOBILITY TASKS
MANIPULATION COMPONENT
MOVEMENT VARIABILITY
MOVEMENT VARIABILITY
STABILITY QUASIMOBILEMOBILITY
Closed predictable
environment
sit/stand/non-
moving surface
Sit to stand/
kitchen chair/arms
Walk/non-moving
surface
Open
unpredictable
environment
Stand/rocker board Sit to
stand/rocking chair
Walk on uneven or
moving surface
THE CONTROL OFMOVEMENT: THEORIES OF MOTOR
CONTROL
•A THEORY OF MOTOR CONTROL ISA GROUP OFIDEAS ABOUT THE
CONTROL OF MOVEMENT.
•A THEORY ISA SET OF INTERCONNECTED STATEMENT THAT
DESCRIBES UNOBSERVABLE STRUCTURES OR PROCESSES AND RELATE
THEM TO EACH OTHER AND TO OBSERVABLEEVENTS.
16.
VALUE OF THEORYTO PRACTICE
FRAME WORK FOR INTERPRETING
BEHAVIOUR
GUIDE FOR CLINICAL ACTION
THEORY PROVIDES -
NEW IDEAS:DYNAMIC & EVOLVING
WORKING HYPOTHESIS FOR
EXAMINATION & INTERVENTION
REFLEX THEORY
• ESTABLISHEDBYCHARLES SHERRINGTON, A NEUROPHYSIOLOGIST
.
• HISRESEARCH ON SENSORY RECEPTORS LEAD TO VIEW THAT MOVEMENT WASRESULT
OF STIMULUS-RESPONSE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS OR REFLEXBASED
• STIMULUS RESPONSE
• SENSATION ASSUMED A PRIMARY ROLE IN INITIATION AND PRODUCTIONOF
MOVEMENT.
• HE BELIEVED ,REFLEXESWERE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF COMPLEX BEHAVIOR.
19.
LIMITATIONS
• THE REFLEXCANNOT BE CONSIDERED THE BASIC UNIT OF BEHAVIOUR IFBOTH SPONTANEOUS AND
VOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS ARE RECOGNISED AS ACCEPTABLE CLASSES OF BEHAVIOUR AS ITMUST BE ACTIVATED
BY AN OUTSIDEAGENT
.
• DOES NOT ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN AND PREDICT MOVEMENT THAT OCCURS IN THE ABSENCE OF SENSORY
STIMULUS. E.G ANIMALS MOVE – ABSENCE OF SENSORYSTIMULUS
• DOES NOT ADEQUATELY EXPLAIN FAST MOVEMENTS.SEQUENCE OF MOVEMENTS THAT OCCUR TOO RAPIDLY TO
ALLOW SENSORY FEEDBACK FROM PRECEDING MOVEMENT TO TRIGGER THE NEXT E.G TYPING
• FAILSTO EXPLAIN THE FACT THAT A SINGLE STIMULUS CAN RESULT IN VARYING RESPONSES DEPENDINGON
CONTEXT AND DESCENDING COMMANDS. E.G OVERRIDE REFLEXES TO ACHIVEGOAL.
• DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE NOVELMOVEMENTS. E.G VIOLINIST
20.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
•CLINICAL STRATEGIESDESIGNEDTO TEST REFLEXES SHOULD ALLOW
THERAPISTS TO PREDICT FUNCTION.
•PATIENT’S MOVEMENT BEHAVIORS WOULD BE INTERPRETED IN TERMS
OF THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF CONTROLLINGREFLEXES.
•RETRAINING MOTOR CONTROL FOR FUNCTIONAL SKILLSWOULD FOCUS
ON ENHANCING OR REDUCING THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS REFLEXES
DURING MOTOR TASKS.E.G FACILITATION / INHIBITION.
21.
HIERARCHICAL THEORY
•MANY RESEARCHERSHAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE VIEW THATNERVOUS
SYSTEM ISORGANIZED AS A HIERARCHY
.
•AMONG THEM, HUGHLINGS JACKSON, AN ENGLISH PHYSICIAN ARGUEDTHAT
THE BRAIN HAS HIGHER, MIDDLE AND LOWER LEVELS OF CONTROL, EQUATED
WITH HIGHER ASSOCIATION AREAS, THE MOTOR CORTEX AND THE SPINAL
LEVELS OF MOTOR FUNCTION.
•THE HIERARCHICAL CONTROL MODEL ISCHARACTERIZED BY ATOP-DOWN
STRUCTURE, IN WHICH HIGHER CENTERS ARE ALWAYS IN CHARGE OF LOWER
CENTERS.
22.
CURRENT CONCEPTS RELATEDTO HIERARCHICAL CONTROL
• THE CONCEPT OF STRICT HIERARCHY HAS BEENMODIFIED.
• WITHIN THISMODIFICATION, THE ASSOCIATION CORTEX OPERATES AS THE HIGHEST
LEVEL(ELABORATING PERCEPTION AND PLANNING STRATEGIES)
• WHILE SENSORY-MOTOR CORTEX IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PORTIONS OF THE BASAL
GANGLIA, BRAIN STEM AND CEREBELLUM FUNCTION AS THE MIDDLE LEVEL(CONVERTING
STRATEGIESINTO MOTOR PROGRAMS ANDCOMMANDS). THE SPINAL CORD FUNCTIONS AT
THE LOWEST LEVEL, TRANSLATING COMMANDS INTO MUSCLE ACTIONS RESULTING IN THE
EXECUTION OF MOVEMENT.
• MODERN HIERARCHICAL THEORY PROPOSES THAT THE THREE LEVELS DONOT OPERATE IN A
RIGID,TOP-DOWN ORDER BUT RATHER AS A FLEXIBLESYSTEM IN WHICH EACH LEVEL CAN
EXERT CONTROL ON THEOTHERS.
• SHIFTS IN CONTROL ARE DEPENDENT ON THE DEMANDS AND COMPLEXITY OF THE TASK
WITH THE HIGHER CENTERS ALWAYS ASSUMING CONTROL.
23.
LIMITATIONS
• CANNOT EXPLAINTHE DOMINANCE OF REFLEX BEHAVIOUR IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS
IN NORMAL ADULTS. E.G..STEPPING ON A PIN RESULTSIN AN IMMEDIATE
WITHDRAWAL OF LEG. THISISAN EXAMPLE OF A REFLEX WITHIN THE LOWEST LEVEL
OF HIERARCHY DOMINATING MOTOR FUNCTION.
• LIMITATION OF HIERARCHICAL THEORY REFLEX WITHIN THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE
HIERARCHY DOMINATING MOTOR FUNCTION. (BOTTOM UP CONTROL)
• ALL LOW-LEVEL BEHAVIOURS ARE PRIMITIVE, IMMATURE AND NON-ADAPTIVE,
WHILE ALL HIGHER LEVEL (CORTICAL) BEHAVIOURS ARE MATURE, ADAPTIVE AND
APPROPRIATE.
24.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
• SIGNEBRUNNSTROM, USED A REFLEX HIERARCHICAL THEORY TO DESCRIBEDISORDERED
MOVEMENT FOLLOWING A MOTORCORTEX LESION.
• SHE STATED“WHEN THE INFLUENCE OF HIGHER CENTERS ISTEMPORARILY OR PERMANENTLY
INTERFERED WITH THE NORMAL REFLEXESBECOME EXAGGERATED ANDSO CALLED
PATHOLOGICAL REFLEXESAPPEAR”.
• “THE RELEASE OF MOTOR RESPONSES INTEGRATED AT LOWER LEVELS FROM RESTRAINING
INFLUENCES OF HIGHER CENTERS, ESPECIALLY THAT OF THE CORTEX LEADS TOABNORMAL
POSTURAL REFLEX ACTIVITY”(BOBATH,1965;MAYSTON,1922).
25.
MOTOR PROGRAMMING THEORIES
•REFLEX THEORIES HAVE BEEN USEFUL IN EXPLAINING CERTAIN STEREOTYPED PATTERNSOF
MOVEMENT.
• ONE CAN REMOVE THE STIMULUS, OR THE AFFERENT INPUT AND STILL HAVE A PATTERNED
MOTOR RESPONSE.(VAN SANT
,1987).
• E.G GRASSHOPPER – FLIGHT DEPENDED ON RHYTHMIC PATTERN GENERATOR. EVEN WHEN
SENSORY NERVES WERE CUT
, THE NERVOUS SYSTEM COULD GENERATE THE OUTPUT WITH
NO SENSORY INPUT – BUT WING BEAT WASSLOW
26.
MOTOR PROGRAMMING THEORIES
•CONCEPT OF CENTRAL MOTORPATTERN, IS MORE FLEXIBLETHAN THE CONCEPT OF A
REFLEX BECAUSE ITCAN BE EITHERACTIVATED BY SENSORY STIMULI OR BY CENTRAL
PROCESSES.THE TERM MOTOR PROGRAM MAY BE USED TO IDENTIFY ACENTRAL PATTERN
GENERATOR(CPG).
• CENTRAL PATTERN GENERATOR (CPG)- SPECIFICNEURAL CIRCUIT IN SPINAL CORD –NEURAL
NETWORKS THAT CAN ENDOGENOUSLY (I.E.WITHOUT RHYTHMIC SENSORY OR CENTRAL
INPUT) PRODUCE RHYTHMIC PATTERNED OUTPUTS OR AS NEURAL CIRCUITSTHAT
GENERATE PERIODIC MOTOR COMMANDS FOR RHYTHMIC MOVEMENTS SUCH AS
LOCOMOTION.
27.
LIMITATIONS
•CENTRAL MOTOR PROGRAMCANNOT BE CONSIDERED ASSOLE
DETERMINANT OF ACTION.
•MOTOR PROGRAM CONCEPT DOES NOT TAKEINTOACCOUNT
MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES
28.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
•IN PATIENTSWHOSE HIGHER LEVELS OF MOTOR PROGRAMMING ARE
AFFECTED, MOTOR PROGRAM THEORY HELPS PATIENTS RELEARN CORRECT
RULES FOR ACTION.
•INTERVENTION SHOULD FOCUS ON RETRAINING MOVEMENTS IMPORTANT
TO A FUNCTIONAL TASK, NOT JUST ON RE-EDUCATING SPECIFIC MUSCLES
IN ISOLATION.
29.
SYSTEMS THEORY
•BERNSTEIN,1967 LOOKEDAT THE WHOLE BODY AS A MECHANICAL SYSTEM,
WITH MASS AND SUBJECT TO BOTH EXTERNAL FORCES SUCH ASGRAVITY
AND INTERNAL FORCES INCLUDING BOTH INERTIAL AND MOVEMENT
DEPENDENT FORCES.
•HE ALSO NOTED THAT WE HAVE MANY DEGREES OF FREEDOM.
•HIGHER LEVELS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVATE LOWER LEVELS, WHILE
LOWER LEVELS ACTIVATE SYNERGIES OR GROUP OF MUSCLES THATARE
CONSTRAINED TO ACT TOGETHER AS A UNIT
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
•EXAMINE THECONTRIBUTION OF IMPAIRMENTS IN THE MUSCULOSKELETALAS
WELL AS NEURAL SYSTEM.
•INTERVENTION MUST FOCUS NOT ONLY ON THE IMPAIRMENTS WITHINTHE
INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM, BUT AMONG THE MULTIPLE SYSTEMS
32.
DYNAMIC ACTION THEORY
•THE DYNAMIC ACTION THEORY APPROACH TO MOTOR CONTROL HAS BEGUN TO LOOK AT THE MOVING
PERSON FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE.(KAMM 1991,KELSO AND TULLER ,1984;KUGLERAND TURVEY1987)
• THE PERSPECTIVE COMES FROM THE BROADER STUDY OF DYNAMICS AND SYNERGETIC.
• “FUNDAMENTAL DYNAMIC SYSTEMSPRINCIPLE.”
ITSAYSTHAT WHEN A SYSTEM OF INDIVIDUAL PARTS COME TOGETHER ,IT’S ELEMENTS BEHAVE
COLLECTIVELY IN AN ORDEREDWAY
.
• THIS PRINCIPLE APPLIED TO MOTOR CONTROL PREDICTS THAT MOVEMENT COULD EMERGE AS ARESULT
OF INTERACTING ELEMENTS WITHOUT THE NEED FOR SPECIFIC COMMANDS OR MOTOR PROGRAMS
WITHIN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.
• E.G – THOUSAND MUSCLE CELLS OF HEART WORK TOGETHER AS A SINGLE UNIT – HEART BEAT
33.
DYNAMIC ACTION THEORY
•DYNAMICTHEORY STATESTHAT THE NEW MOVEMENT EMERGES DUE TO A
CRITICAL CHANGE IN IN ONE OF THE SYSTEMS CALLED “CONTROLLED
PARAMETER”.- A VARIABLE THAT REGULATES CHANGE IN BEHAVIOUR OF THE
ENTIRE SYSTEM.
•DYNAMIC ACTION THEORY HAS BEEN MODIFIED TO INCORPORATE MANY OF
BERNSTEIN'S CONCEPTS ‘”DYNAMIC SYSTEM MODEL” SUGGESTS THAT
MOVEMENT UNDERLYING ACTION RESULTS FROM INTERACTION OF BOTH
PHYSICAL AND NEURAL COMPONENTS.
34.
LIMITATIONS
•A LIMITATION OFTHIS MODEL CAN BE THE PRESUMPTION THAT THENERVOUS
SYSTEM HAS FAIRLY UNIMPORTANT ROLE AND THAT THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL SYSTEM OF THE ANIMAL AND THE ENVIRONMENTIN
WHICH ITOPERATES PRIMARILY DETERMINES THE ANIMAL’S BEHAVIOUR.
35.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
• ONEOF THE MAJOR IMPLICATION OF THE DYNAMIC ACTION THEORYISMOVEMENT
ISAN EMERGENTPROPERTY
.
• ITEMERGES FROM THE INTERACTION MULTIPLE ELEMENTS THAT SELF ORGANIZE
BASED ON CERTAIN DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF THE ELEMENTSTHEMSELVES.
• MOVEMENT BEHAVIOUR CAN OFTEN BE EXPLAINED IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL
PRINCIPLES RATHER THAN IN TERMS OF NEURAL STRUCTURES
• CAN MAKE USE IN HELPING PATIENTSTO REGAIN MOTOR CONTROL
36.
ECOLOGICAL THEORY
• IN1960S,JAMESGIBSON EXPLORES THE WAY IN WHICH OUR MOTOR SYSTEMS ALLOW US TO INTERACT
MOST EFFECTIVELY WITH THE ENVIRONMENT TO PERFORM GOAL-ORIENTEDBEHAVIOR.
• ACTIONS REQUIRE PERCEPTUAL INFORMATION THAT ISSPECIFIC TO A DESIRED GOAL-DIRECTED
ACTION PERFORMED WITHIN A SPECIFICENVIRONMENT
.
• PERCEPTION FOCUSES ON DETECTING INFORMATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL SUPPORTTHE
ACTIONS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL.
• ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE HAS BROADENED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF NERVOUS SYSTEMFUNCTION
FROM THAT OF SENSORY/MOTOR SYSTEM ,REACTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES TO THAT OF
PERCEPTION /ACTION SYSTEM THAT ACTIVELY EXPLORES THE ENVIRONMENT TO SATISFYITSOWN
GOAL.
37.
LIMITATIONS
•GIVE LESSEMPHASIS TOTHE ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTION OF THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM THAT HAS LED TO THISINTERACTION, MORE ON
ORGANISM/ENVIRONMENT INTERFACE
38.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
• AMAJOR CONTRIBUTION OF THISVIEW ISIN DESCRIBING THE INDIVIDUAL AS AN ACTIVE
EXPLORER TO THE ENVIRONMENT
.
• AN IMPORTANT PART OF INTERVENTION ISHELPING THE PATIENT EXPOLRE THE POSSIBILITIES
FOR ACHIEVING A FUNCTIONAL TASKIN MULTIPLEWAYS
• THE ABILITY TO DEVELOP MULTIPLE ADAPTIVE SOLUTIONS TO ACCOMPLISH A TASKAND
DISCOVER THE BEST SOLUTION FOR THEM, GIVEN THE PATIENTS SETOF LIMITATIONS.
39.
WHICH IS THEBEST THEORY OF MOTOR CONTROL
•THE BEST AND MOST COMPLETE THEORY OFMOTOR CONTROL, THE ONE
THAT REALLY PREDICTS THE NATURE AND CAUSE OF MOVEMENT ANDIS
CONSISTENT WITH OUR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF BRAIN ANATOMY AND
PHYSIOLOGY?
•THERE ISNO ONE THEORY THAT HAS ITALL
•BEST THEORY-THAT COMBINES ELEMENTS FROM ALL THE THEORIES
PRESENTED
40.
NEUROLOGIC REHABILITATION: REFLEXBASED
NEUROFACILITATION APPROACHES
• NEUROFACILITATION APPROACHES INCLUDE BOBATH(KARL AND BERTA BOBATH,1965),THE
ROOD APPROACH(MARGARET ROOD,1967),BRUNNSTROM APPROACH(SIGNE
BRUNNSTROM,1966) ,PNF(VOSS,1985),SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY(JEAN AYRES,1972).
• THESE WERE BASED ON ASSUMPTIONS DRAWN FROM BOTH THE REFLEX ANDHIERARCHICAL
THEORIES OF MOTOR CONTROL.
• THEY FOCUS ON RETRAINING MOTOR CONTROL THROUGH TECHNIQUES DESIGNED TO
FACILITATEAND/OR TO INHIBIT DIFFERENT MOTOR PATTERNS
41.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
• EXAMINATIONOF MOTOR CONTROL SHOULD FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING THE PRESENCE OR
ABSENCE OF NORMAL AND ABNORMAL REFLEXES CONTROLLING MOVEMENT.
• INTERVENTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED AT MODIFYING THE REFEXESTHAT CONTROL
MOVEMENT
• THE IMPORTANCE FOR SENSORY INPUT FOR STIMULATING NORMAL MOTOROUTPUT
SUGGESTSAN INTERVENTION FOCUS OF MODIFYING THE CNS THROUGH SENSORY
STIMULATION
42.
TASK-ORIENTED APPROACH
• BASEDON NEWER THEORIES OF MOTORCONTROL
• ITISASSUMED THAT THE NORMAL MOVEMENT EMERGES AS AN INTERACTIONAMONG
MANY SYSTEMS.
• MOVEMENT ISORGANIZED AROUND A BEHAVIORAL GOAL AND ISCONSTRAINED BYTHE
ENVIRONMENT
.
• CLINICAL IMPLICATION - TASKORIENTED APPROACH TO INTERVENTION ASSUMESTHAT
PATIENTSLEARN BY ACTIVELY ATTEMPTING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN A
FUNCTIONAL TASKRATHER THAN REPETITIVELYPRACTICING NORMAL PATTERNS OF
MOVEMENT