Using Motor Imagery Therapy to Improve Movement Efficiency and Reduce Fall Injury Risk

Abstract

Physiotherapy interventions have proven to play an important role in preventing and rehabilitating fall injury in the elderly. An important goal of such programs is to modify risk factors and thereby reduce the likelihood for future falls. Recent research observations suggest that one such factor is the ability to mentally represent and plan movements, an ability that declines with advancing age. In addition to physiotherapy exercise for balance, mobility and stabilizing strength, the use of motor imagery practice, a form of mental representation, has gained interest in the clinical community. Recent research findings highlight the merits of combining physiotherapy with motor imagery practice. Such practice has the potential to help the individual maintain motor (action) planning networks while recovering from brain and/ or muscle injury. Another, more proactive approach, is to use motor imagery practice to improve action planning and subsequent movement efficiency. This brief review highlights research findings on mental representation and motor imagery, notes implications for the elderly, and provides recommendations for practice strategies to improve motor planning and potentially lower risk of movement-related injury.