Controlling lower body movement is essential in physical exercise, especially subsequent injury. The loss of proprioception and kinaesthesia can result in poor dynamic stability, neuromuscular control, and muscular imbalances and may increase future injury. The importance of implementing neuromuscular control exercises within a training program is vital to return the athlete to full fitness and keep them away from the injury room.

At Muscle & Bone Clinic we follow certain guidelines when implementing stability exercises within a rehabilitation program to ensure maximum benefit to our athletes. These guidelines involve;

  • Training slow and controlled
  • Need to fail to succeed
  • Training reactive and anticipatory control
  • Being a ‘slave driver’ with coaching.

These guidelines allow for an appropriate progression/regression of exercises that will continue to challenge the athlete and their postural integrity and control without causing setbacks.

As a practicing Exercise Physiologist I have often seen stability exercises that are way;

  • To advance for that particular athlete at that time
  • Coaching that is not focused on technique
  • Exercises that are not challenging enough to cause a stress adaptation response to the body.
  • Exercises that do not integrate the athletes sporting demands for stability.

Yes, we all want strong athletes but it is paramount that they are resilient and with resilience comes endurance. So often the aforementioned elements are miss-managed and we wonder why as practitioners we are right back where we started with an athlete with a reoccurrence of the same injury or a new one.

In short, when prescribing Stability: Keep it simple, keep it progressive, keep it real & keep it live. And above all else do not forget to coach.

 


Find Out More About Exercise Physiology

Slav Tortevski

Exercise Physiologist

Muscle And Bone Clinic

8 Chatham St Prahran

www.muscle-boneclinic.com.au