Summer Qi Chats | Week 7
Did you KNOW your shoulder can play jazz?
This week we should discuss how important sensory & mobility work is for the mobility of your shoulder!
Your shoulder needs touch
Let’s keep this simple: Activation of upper shoulder neurons can be facilitated via activation of the joint homuncular neighbors in the motor cortex - Neurons that wire together, fire together! Activation of a neuron brings O2 and blood to the area. Also get some ‘electrical love’.
Homulcular neighbors to the shoulder can help with activation.
Somatosensory cortex is more orderly fashioned (like piano keys at top) but the motor cortex is more random (like below). This is to help with everyday arm/wrist/hand/shoulder reactions.
TICKLE THE IVORY
It’s time to tickle the ivory, or rather touch your shoulder so you can FEEL the music of movement! We are going to go over basic forms of sensory and then I’m going to introduce a few other options to help move the shoulder. First, we need to look at neuro-anatomy and play with…
Eye blinking during shoulder circle
Compressive wrist wrapping during resisted wrist glides while playing with shoulder circle
Finger circles or elbow circles
Move shoulder to point of pain and sticky area and have client move out of that point (just a little) to do wrist glides or finger circles in that shoulder position and see if they can go back into sticky ROM. Do drills at each stopping point (of course, take them out of threat to do drills)
The shoulder-elbow neurons have an equal homuncular representation in the motor cortex. They are equally represented in the brain. Needs to work together and have dual function.
Neuro-Qi Tip o’the day!
Slow down to age better
Grab a buddy and play with two point discrimination
Teach yourself to train the arms with your eyes, wrists and elbows when training the shoulder.
Do it yourself and REACH back there to massage, touch, poke and scrub the shoulder
*Video posts every Friday by 11:30am MDT
