Proprioception

This collection of contributions on the subject of the neural mechanisms of sensorimotor control resulted from a conference held in Cairns, Australia, September 3-6, 2001. While the three of us were attending the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) Congress in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1997, we discussed the implications of the next Congress being awarded to New Zealand. We agreed to organise a satellite to this congress in an area of mutual interest -the neuroscience of movement and sensation. Australia has a long-standing and enviable reputation in the field of neural mechanisms of sensorimotor control. Arguably this reached its peak with the award of a Nobel Prize to Sir John Eccles in 1963 for his work on synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. Since that time, the subject of neuroscience has progressed considerably. One advance is the exploitation of knowledge acquired from animal experiments to studies on conscious human subjects. In this development, Australians have achieved international prominence, particularly in the areas of kinaesthesia and movement control. This bias is evident in the choice of subject matter for the conference and, subsequently, this book. It was also decided to assign a whole section to muscle mechanics, a subject that is often left out altogether from conferences on motor control. Cairns is a lovely city and September is a good time to visit it.

Proprioception is the sense of body position and movement, with conscious and unconscious components, that determines and conditions the human body’s relationship with the environment. This quality of mechanosensitivity deteriorates in some pathologies and is responsible for some alterations of the locomotor system that appear in elderly persons. In those situations, the failure of proprioception reduces the quality of life of the subjects. The widespread use in developed countries of substitute joint prostheses makes it necessary to rethink the concepts of movement detection and perception. As such, this book examines the basics of proprioception as well as its function in the lower extremities, the head, in children with disabilities, and its connection with virtual reality.

Contemporary teaching and learning methods based on cognitive neuroscience deal with such questions as “How do we think?” and “How do we learn?” or “How does the human memory work?”. Innovative approaches in this field tackle the subject of human mentality by connecting discoveries from a range of disciplines that shed light on cognitive occurrences and the learning process. Especially over the last decade, one of the key trends in this field has focused on the connection between humans and machines (technologies) and, more concretely, on the link between human and artificial intelligence. Contemporary technologies based on AI will undoubtedly play a critical role in shaping the society of the future. This book, which is the final part of a trilogy on research in the area of philosophy of education, following Virtual Teacher: Cognitive Approach to e-Learning Material, and Cognitive Education and Transdisciplinary Models for Teaching, embarks on an ambitious journey of providing potential explanations of how to optimally meet the needs and requirements of our future society. Thus, the primary purpose of this book is to shed light on issues related to teaching and learning based on contemporary trends and approaches from the field of information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, it relates the above to the set-up of modern learning environments, whether they are referred to as intelligent learning materials (e-learning materials), intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), or learning management systems (LMS). With this in mind, a universal meta-model (cognitive machine) for a contemporary transdisciplinary learning strategy is proposed here, based on cybernetic theory and methods of AI. The book may well provoke cognitive dissonance and intellectual unease, as it explores cognitive theories and inspires researchers and teachers to update and invigorate some of the theories that have been embedded in their minds since their own school years. In order for this to happen, it provides readers with many valuable insights and introduces new experiences resulting from alternative teaching practices.

This book is a comprehensive guide to proprioceptive rehabilitation after orthopaedic and sports surgery. In addition, it equips readers with a thorough understanding of the neurophysiology and assessment of proprioception and clearly explains the relationships between surgical procedures, injuries, and anatomy and proprioception. Proprioception is still an unclear topic for most clinicians and scientists, and this is the first book specifically on proprioception in the context of orthopaedics and sports injuries, surgery, and rehabilitation. After an opening section describing key basic knowledge, individual chapters discuss proprioception after injuries and surgery to different parts of the body and explain the role of proprioceptive training in optimal rehabilitation. Among other topics addressed are proprioception after soft tissue regenerative treatment and the relation between osteoarthritis and proprioception. The book includes numerous descriptions of exercises, photographs, and tables documenting rehabilitation strategies. It will be of value for all students, clinicians, and academicians with an interest in the subject.

This book reviews the most current research on therapeutic modalities, myofascial release of the upper extremity, nerve mobilization, proprioceptive training and stroke rehabilitation.Why do we publish continuing education modules? Because even though there are a lot out there, a lot claiming that they provide evidence based studies, they don't. Most of the time, the research used aremore than 20 years old."This is why we founded Rehabsurge, Inc. We choose a topic of interest for the rehabilitation professional.We review all the journals that pertain to that topic. We subscribe to major online libraries which contain peer reviewed journals. Then, we read each journal and summarize them into easy to read books. The cost of subscription to these journals are astronomical. Also, the time to read and review each journal takes so much time.This is our goal-- to provide the latest research to clinicians and to save clinicians' time.

Discover the revolutionary writing practice that can transform your life! In 1976, Linda Trichter Metcalf, then a university English professor, sat down with pen and paper and intuitively started a self-guided writing practice that helped to bring herself into focus and clarify her life as never before. She and a colleague, Tobin Simon, introduced this original method into their classrooms. They experienced such solid response from their students that, for the last twenty-five years, they have devoted themselves to teaching what has now become the respected practice of Proprioceptive Writing®–in workshops, secondary and elementary schools, and college psychology and writing classes around the country, among them the New School University. “Proprioception” comes from the Latin proprius, meaning “one’s own,” and this writing method helps synthesize emotion and imagination, generating authentic insight and catharsis. Proprioceptive Writing® is not formal writing, nor is it automatic or stream-of-consciousness writing. Requiring a regular, disciplined practice in a quiet environment, the method uses several aids to deepen attention and free the writer within: Baroque music, a candle, a pad, and a pen. Presenting Proprioceptive Writing® in book form for the first time, Writing the Mind Alive shows how you, too, can use it to • Focus awareness, dissolve inhibitions, and build self-trust • Unburden your mind and resolve emotional conflicts • Connect more deeply with your spiritual self • Write and speak with strength and clarity • Enhance the benefits of psychotherapy • Awaken your senses and emotions • Liberate your creative energies Featuring actual “writes” by students of all ages, Writing the Mind Alive is a catalyst for mental and emotional aliveness that can truly enrich the rest of your life.

This practical book offers an extensive examination of how manual therapy (MT) techniques work, and how to match the most suitable techniques to different conditions. Drawing on evidence-based research, it explores the physiological, neurological and psychophysiological responses of the human body to MT techniques. In doing so, it helps MT practitioners deliver a more effective and safer treatment for a broader range of conditions. Comprehensive overview helps provide an understanding of how and why MT techniques work. Content is written in jargon-free, easy-to-read style, with most terms explained. Text is enhanced by over 120 diagrams, photographs and tables. Manual pain relief is extensively discussed throughout the book. Section 1 examines the direct effects of manual therapy on connective tissue and muscle physiology, examining how MT can help assist repair and adaptation processes in these tissues. Section 2 examines the effect of MT on the neuromuscular system, identifying conditions where neuromuscular dysfunctions can be treated by MT. Section 3 examines the psychological, emotional and behavioral impacts of MT, in addition to the psychophysiological affects of MT, including psychomotor, neuroendocrine, and autonomic responses. More than 1,000 references relevant to manual therapy are included, making this an essential source book for students and researchers of MT. Content is completely rewritten, extensively updated and expanded, adding new research material, novel clinical approaches, and demonstrations of new techniques and assessments. Pain coverage is expanded. More information is included on the responses of muscle to mechanical stimuli when applying MT techniques.

In his most beloved and extraordinary book, Dr. Sacks recounts the case histories of patients inhabiting the compelling world of neurological disorders. Featuring a preface never before included. Oliver Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with perceptual and intellectual disorders: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; whose limbs seem alien to them; who lack some skills yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. In Dr. Sacks's splendid and sympathetic telling, his patients are deeply human, and his tales are studies of struggles against incredible adversity. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject."