In class we use ball rolling, movement, breath, and body scanning to
bring our attention to sensations in different areas of the body.
So,
naturally, the question comes up - what the heck for?
I mean, the body hurts already, so wouldn't it be best to just escape pain and focus on something external?
The answer is, "it depends what you are after!"
Escaping pain by diverting our attention elsewhere is a marvelous pain management tool. But while it can certainly help to find temporary relief and calm down the nervous system for the time being, it does nothing to change the very ground of the nervous system.
You know me - I don't do anything lightly.
I
want the tools that I use {and share with you} to be multitasking super heroes.
I don't want a temporary relief. I want a permanent change.
Enter proprioception.
Proprioception refers to the
sense of the relative position of neighboring body parts, such as, for example, the femoral head within the hip socket - and also the muscular force utilized in movement of those parts.
Proprioception is like “GPS” for the joints.
Pause reading for a moment:
- Can you identify the position of your hip sockets?
- You arm bones in the shoulder sockets?
- The position of each shoulder blade?
Joint position is detected by specialized nerve endings known as “proprioceptors” that are located within the muscles, ligaments and joint capsule and the periosteum (on the surface of the bones).
These receptors communicate information about the joints to the brain via the sensory columns of the spinal cord {all of this awesomeness happens on the background, mostly
without your conscious awareness}.
Studies show that joint position sense is decreased in persons with osteoarthritis. The suspicion is, of course, that reduced proprioception plays a role in the development of the disease. Indeed, exercises that improve proprioception have been demonstrated to be effective in the conservative management of osteoarthritis {yes, those
strange moves we do on the mat - we do them for a good reason; not because I am crazy!}
Furthermore, decreased proprioception is exceptionally common for people who live with persistent pain, and for a good reason.When your nervous system is so busy sensing pain, it no longer has the capacity for proprioception.
The more pain you have, the less coordinated and more prone to injury
you are. Converse is also true: the more body aware you are, the more
you are able to turn your pain down - it is like flipping the sensory nerve
communication switch, so that pain sensors cannot dominate your brain
any longer.
Got a free moment?
Use it wisely; body scan yourself!
P.S. On a side note: body scanning doesn't just help with pain and body awareness. In Core Restore and Corrective Movement class
we use this tool to help us identify and isolate pure movements through the joints - to improve stability, mobility, and range of motion. And I just used this tool to help me improve my skiing. IT WORKS!
