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Prevention and Fitness:

Quality of life is dependent upon maintained health of the mind and body. Participation in fitness programs influences the integrity of multiple body systems enhancing continued functional Indcpendence at home and within the community.[McArdIe, et al„ 1991] This is an important consideration particularly for the elderly population. Increasing emphaśis is being placed on restora-tlvc and preventative health care programs for the elderly in an attempt to ensure higher ąuality of life and minimize costs within the health care system.[Vallbona, C. and Baker, S., 1984]

Bali activities can be incorporated into group or individual sessions for a wide rangę of lndiv\duals to influence performance of their cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and musculoskeletal Systems. The bali adds novelty to pre-existing fitness programs keeping individuals interested and COmpliant with their exercises. In addition, even the most finely tuned individual can be challenged by the bali because of its dynamie ąualities. The stronger and morę balanced an individual, the morę challenged they become as they narrow their base of support, inerease their speed, their degree of wcight shift, or height of their center of gravity on the bali. Exercise routines with the bali can be as gcntle or as strenuous as the therapist or fitness instructor deems appropriate. Utilizing the fuli potential of the bali is a rewarding and exciting challenge to the creativity and ingenuity of the therapist, fitness instructor or client/patient

Summary

The Swiss bali is a versatile treatment modality whose effect'rveness can be viewed from a motor conlrol and motor learning perspective. The Systems Model is one approach to motor controI Obsenring the way an individual interacts with the Swiss bali provides important evaluative Information about the integrity of multiple Systems. From a treatment perspective, the bali may be utitized to challenge particutar systems where deficits are found. Movement occurs in the context of Information Processing, that is, evaluation of emrironmental stimuli, response selection and movement generation. Treatment with the Swiss bali challenges the efficiency and the flexibility of information Processing capabilities. Task analysis is a way ot conceptualizing the rangę of motor behaviors from very simple to highly complex activities requiring greater degrees of information Processing. In train-ing individuals to function as efficiently and independentty as possible, we need to challenge them with motor behaviors representative of the fuli spectrum of tasks. Working with the Swiss bali provides opportunities to train movements throughout the entire classification of tasks. A key concept in motor learning is the development of "coordinative structures", that is, the linkage of body parts functioning together as an integrated unit. Use of the Swiss bali encourages the development ot coordinative structures by requiring the simultaneous participation of multiple body areas as an indlvidual works lo balance on the bali. From a Iheoretical perspeethre, a sound rationale exists for use of the Swiss bali.

(0 10U5 by Joann* Poinor Maytr, PT

Glossary

body stability: the individual remains stable within his environment.

body transport: the individual is moving within his environment.

closed kinematic Chain: when the distal segment of an extremity is fixed in a weight bearing position.

closed tasks: tasks in which the regulatory stimuli are stable and predictable; there is no variability between trials.

coordinative structures: muscle synergies which result in integrated control of muscles across multiple joints or body segments.

declarative memory: memory which involves conscious reflection for learning and recall.

diversification: learning which leads to flexible movement strategies and is essential to successful performance in open tasks.

fixation: learning which leads to a consistent movement strategy and is primarily associated with successful performance in closed tasks.

Motor control: refers to production of efficient motor behaviors for successful task completion.

Motor learning: the process of acquiring flexible strategies which allow an individual to consistently achieve a motor goal.

non-regulatory stimuli: extraneous sensory information which needs to be ignored when establishing a motor strategy.

open tasks: tasks in which the regulatory stimuli are moving and vary from trial to trial.

optimization: arriving at the best motor solution to accomplish a motor task.

regulatory stimuli: pertinent sensory information important for establishing a motor strategy.

reflexlve memory: memory which has an automatic quality and does not depend on conscious reflection for learning or recall.

systems model of motor control: the interaction of multiple subsystems within the body to produce movement.

taxonomy: Classification or arrangement of.

© 1995 by Joanna Posner-Mayer, PT