strathspey@strathspey.org:11830

Keith Grant

Coming back from injuries

April 28, 1998, 2:07 a.m. (Message 11830)

There's an interesting online article (for those inclined to details) on 
retraining the kinesthetic sense of joint position following an injury. The 
authors feel that failure to do such retraining can be a major cause of 
subsequent reinjury. Such training goes hand-in-hand with working to 
increase strength and flexibility and to reeducate neuromuscular movement 
patterns disrupted by compensation following injuries. Somethings to 
consider and discuss with your medic for those working with someone or 
themselves returning from "wounded" ghille status.

...Keith


http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1997/10oct/laskow.htm

Refining Rehabilitation With Proprioception Training: Expediting
Return to Play, Edward R. Laskowski, MD; Karen Newcomer-Aney, MD; Jay Smith, 
MD, THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 25 - NO. 10 - OCTOBER 97

In Brief: Although definitions of proprioception--sense of joint 
position--may vary, its importance in preventing and rehabilitating athletic 
injury remains constant: Restoring it after injury allows the body to 
maintain stability and orientation during static and dynamic activities. Any 
type of joint injury can interrupt position sense. Proprioceptive programs 
need to be tailored to the individual patient, but exercises can include 
balance training, closed-kinetic-chain exercises such as the leg press or 
single-leg hops, back-strengtheners, and quadruped stabilization. Sport- 
specific training is also crucial in regaining proprioception; an example is 
defensive slide drills in basketball.

Impaired joint "position sense" is overlooked in many rehabilitation 
programs and may be a major risk factor for recurrent injuries after the 
integrity of the muscles and ligaments has been  restored (1). Physicians, 
therefore, need a general understanding of the afferent proprioceptive
system, its importance to joint integrity, and how to emphasize it during 
rehabilitation and training. 

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