Written by Sophie Hose, DC, MS, CCSP
Neuromuscular rehabilitation plays a crucial role in restoring function and quality of life for individuals suffering from neurological and musculoskeletal conditions. In chiropractic neurology, the brain’s influence on movement and sensory systems is central to both assessment and rehabilitation strategies. One tool that has gained increasing attention in recent years is Motion Guidance, a visual feedback device that allows patients to monitor and correct their movements in real-time. This technology offers significant benefits in retraining motor control, improving proprioception, and accelerating neuroplasticity, making it particularly useful in treating conditions like stroke, chronic pain, and musculoskeletal injuries like sprains and strains.
What is Motion Guidance?
Motion Guidance is a therapy tool that integrates visual feedback into rehabilitation exercises. It involves attaching a laser pointer to a body part, such as the hand, knee, or head, and projecting the light onto a surface like a wall or mat. Patients then perform specific exercises while observing and adjusting their movements according to the visual feedback. This method provides an engaging way for patients to correct deviations, reduce compensatory patterns, and achieve better precision in movement.
From a chiropractic neurology perspective, this tool aligns perfectly with the focus on neuromotor retraining. By utilizing visual input, the system helps patients recalibrate their proprioceptive systems, which is vital for people recovering from neurological events like strokes, or for those dealing with chronic pain or joint injuries. As the nervous system is rewired through motor learning, real-time feedback enhances this process, helping patients regain function faster and more effectively.
Stroke Rehabilitation: Rebuilding Neural Pathways
Stroke patients often suffer from hemiplegia (inability to move one half of their body like they did before the incident), loss of balance, and decreased motor control. For these individuals, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself, known as neuroplasticity, is essential for recovery. Motor learning is one of the key components of stroke rehabilitation, and it requires repetition, feedback, and engagement to be effective. Research has demonstrated that stroke rehabilitation can be enhanced with the use of external feedback mechanisms, such as visual or auditory cues, to support motor relearning.
Motion Guidance is an excellent tool for stroke patients, as it provides the necessary visual feedback to guide their movements. By attaching the laser pointer to an affected limb, patients can visually track their arm or leg movements during therapy, ensuring that they stay within the desired range of motion. This real-time feedback enhances motor control by increasing sensory input to the brain, which is crucial for patients who have diminished proprioceptive awareness due to brain injury.
Several studies have shown the benefits of combining visual and motor feedback for postural control and motor recovery after stroke. For instance, research suggests that task-oriented training with visual feedback promotes greater improvements in balance and functional mobility compared to conventional methods. Chiropractic neurologists who specialize in neurorehabilitation can incorporate Motion Guidance to promote dynamic balance, joint stability, and motor coordination in patients recovering from stroke.
Chronic Pain: Reprogramming Dysfunctional Motor Patterns
Chronic pain is often associated with maladaptive motor patterns and reduced proprioception, especially in conditions such as low back pain, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome. These patients often experience alterations in how their brains process sensory information, leading to distorted body maps and dysfunctional movement strategies. For example, a person with chronic low back pain may excessively guard certain muscles or avoid certain movements, which over time can reinforce faulty motor patterns and exacerbate pain.
Chiropractic neurology recognizes the importance of addressing these faulty patterns to reduce pain and restore normal movement. Motion Guidance offers a practical solution by providing visual feedback that allows patients to regain awareness of their movements and correct maladaptive patterns. For instance, a patient with chronic neck pain might use Motion Guidance during cervical range-of-motion exercises, ensuring that they maintain symmetry and control. Over time, this process re-trains the nervous system to adopt healthier movement strategies, reducing the sensation of pain and improving function.
The benefits of visual feedback in treating chronic pain are well-supported by research. Studies indicate that patients with chronic pain can have altered body perception, leading to difficulty sensing where their body is in space, also known as proprioceptive dysfunction. Providing visual cues can help re-establish the brain’s correct perception of the body, which in turn can alleviate pain. A study on patients with chronic low back pain found that those who received visual feedback during movement tasks experienced reduced pain intensity and improved motor control, underscoring the value of this approach in rehabilitation.
Sprain and Strain Injuries: Optimizing Joint Stability
Sprains and strains, especially in areas like the ankle and knee, can compromise joint stability and proprioception, increasing the risk of further injury. Chiropractic neurologists focus on neuromuscular re-education to restore proprioceptive awareness and joint function. Motion Guidance can be a valuable tool in this process, providing real-time visual feedback that helps patients retrain joint stability and improve motor control.
For instance, following an ankle sprain, proprioception in the affected joint is often impaired, making the patient more prone to further injury. Using Motion Guidance during balance and coordination exercises allows patients to visually track their foot’s movements and make immediate corrections if they deviate from the desired motion. This enhances proprioceptive input, reinforcing neural pathways that promote joint stability. Research shows that proprioceptive training with feedback mechanisms significantly improves joint stability and reduces the risk of future injury.
Additionally, in patients recovering from knee injuries or post-surgical rehabilitation (such as ACL repairs), Motion Guidance can assist in improving quadriceps activation, knee alignment, and weight-bearing strategies. By providing patients with a target to track during squats or balance drills, clinicians can ensure more precise movement control, optimizing outcomes in both the short and long term.
Incorporating Motion Guidance in Chiropractic Neurology Practice
The use of Motion Guidance fits naturally into the philosophy of chiropractic neurology, which emphasizes the brain’s role in controlling movement, balance, and coordination. Chiropractic neurologists focus on promoting neuroplasticity and improving proprioception, both of which can be significantly enhanced through the use of visual feedback.
- Accelerating Neuroplasticity and Motor Learning: Neuroplasticity is driven by repetition and feedback. The more patients engage in activities that challenge their motor control and proprioception, the more the brain rewires itself to improve function. Motion Guidance adds an extra layer of sensory input by incorporating visual feedback, which accelerates the process of neuroplasticity and motor learning.
- Engaging Patients and Improving Motivation: One of the key challenges in rehabilitation is maintaining patient motivation, particularly when progress is slow. Motion Guidance makes rehabilitation more engaging by providing tangible, real-time feedback. Patients can see their progress, which can increase their motivation to continue therapy.
- Customizing Rehabilitation: Motion Guidance allows for a highly individualized approach to rehabilitation. The feedback system can be adjusted to suit the patient’s specific needs, whether they are recovering from a neurological injury like a stroke, dealing with chronic pain, or rehabilitating a joint injury. This flexibility makes it a versatile tool in any chiropractic neurology practice.
Motion Guidance offers a cutting-edge approach to rehabilitation, aligning perfectly with the goals of chiropractic neurology. Whether addressing the motor deficits caused by a stroke, reprogramming faulty movement patterns in chronic pain patients, or restoring joint stability after sprains and strains, this visual feedback tool enhances proprioception, accelerates neuroplasticity, and promotes optimal movement. By integrating Motion Guidance into their practices, chiropractic neurologists can offer a more dynamic, engaging, and effective rehabilitation experience for their patients.
If you think that you or someone you love could benefit from Motion Guidance therapies, contact Georgia Chiropractic Neurology Center today to schedule your free consultation!
References
- Winstein CJ, Stein J, Arena R, et al. Guidelines for Adult Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery: A Guideline for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2016;47(6) . doi:10.1161/STR.0000000000000098
- Peurala SH, Karttunen AH, Sjögren T, et al. Evidence for the effectiveness of walking training on balance and gait after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS One. 2014;9(11) . doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0112403
- Moseley GL. I Can’t Find It! Distorted Body Image and Tactile Dysfunction in Patients With Chronic Back Pain. Pain. 2008;140(1):239-243. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2008.08.001
- Han J, Waddington G, Adams R, et al. Proprioception and Neuromuscular Control in Ankle Instability. Foot Ankle Int. 2015;36(1): 110-123. doi:10.1177/1071100714558494