Mechanisms of reciprocal interplay between hypoactivity, muscle properties and motor command: Which countermeasures escape the vicious circle of deconditioning? A narrative review

Publication date: Available online 27 October 2018Source: Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation MedicineAuthor(s): Marie-Hélène Canu, Julie Fourneau, Jacques-Olivier Coq, Luc Dannhoffer, Caroline Cieniewski-Bernard, Laurence Stevens, Bruno Bastide, Erwan DupontAbstractActivity-dependent processes addressing the central nervous system (CNS) and musculoskeletal structures are critical for maintaining motor performance. Chronic reduction in activity, whether due to a sedentary lifestyle or extended bed rest, results in impaired performance in motor tasks and thus decreased quality of life. In the first part of this paper, we give a narrative review of the effects of hypoactivity on the neuromuscular system and behavioral outcomes. Motor impairments arise from a combination of factors including altered muscle properties, impaired afferent input, and plastic changes in neural structure and function throughout the nervous system. There is a reciprocal interplay between the CNS and muscle properties, and these sensorimotor loops are essential for controlling posture and movement. As a result, patients under hypoactivity experience a self-perpetuating cycle, in with sedentarity leading to decreased motor activity and thus a progressive worsening of a situation, and finally deconditioning. Various rehabilitation strategies have been studied to slow down or reverse muscle alteration and altered motor performance. In the second part of the paper, we review representative protocols dir...
Source: Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine - Category: Rehabilitation Source Type: research