Proprioception and how it relates to chronic injury
Zacharias K.
Marketing Automation, Solution Analyst, Business Architect, Digital Product Manager, Professional Player Development
Have you ever heard, whether in an article on webMD, or through your doctor after suffering your first sprain, that "once you sprain your ankle for the first time, that you're likely to do it again" or something along those lines. Where does this saying come from, and what does the word "proprioception" have to do with it? Proprioception literally translates to "one's own", "individual" and perception, describing the sense of the relative position of neighboring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement. Putting it more simply, proprioception is your awareness of your body during movement, and here is where we can begin to make the connection to repeated strains and other chronic injuries. When you injure an area, (for ease of understanding we'll continue to use the ankle as an example), in addition to supportive connective tissues becoming loose and less responsive, the ability for one to maintain alignment of the lower body and balance is severely challenged. Muscles like the Gluteals (butt muscles) which are major muscles of propulsion, turn themselves off in order to slow you down so you can heal. That combined with inactivity, which is the main 'killer' of proper muscle function, leaves us disconnected from a majority of our lower half from a simple ankle sprain. This disconnection is the equivalent of decreased body awareness (proprioception) and your ability to sense where you're placing your feet during movement, and here we arrive at why it's so easy, after one sprain, to repeat it, or cause an entirely different injury all together.
Breaking the chain of injury involves an entirely different approach to injury treatment, rehab, and strength and conditioning; an approach we know all about at TRIFACTIVE, a premium sports injury and pain clinic here in Chicago. Feel free to message me questions or give us a call if you're struggling with chronic injury and would like expert care.
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