IADMS Miami 2000   [back to the Category]

Movement Repatterning Through Breath and Imagery Training   [read the french version]

Author :   Steven J. Chatfield, Ph.D.

Author: Steven J. Chatfield, Ph.D., University of Oregon, Departments of Dance and Exercise and
Movement Sciences, Eugene, OR, USA

Theorists and clinicians in movement rehabilitation and training claim that movement repatterning is an effective method of optimizing whole body integration to enhance performance and prevent injury. Yet very little research evidence exists to support these claims. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether measurable changes in select neuromuscular parameters resulted from breath and imagery training intended to produce movement repatterning.

Two 40-year-old males and 2 females, 39 and 45 years old, volunteered for testing before and after 10 one hour training sessions spread over 4 weeks. Data were collected for 100 trials of a forward push of one hand coupled with a contralateral weight shift at maximum speed. Data included: surface electromyography (EMG) from 8 sites reflecting prime movers; kinematic data from markers on the wrist; and ground reaction forces (GRF). Training emphasized breathing and imagery exercises while, lying still on the floor and during standing weight shifts. Training never included muscle conditioning or attention to the muscular or skeletal aspects of the work.

Mean frequency of abdominal EMG onset changed from 60 ± 21% pretest to 93 ± 12% posttest. Mixed between and within ANOVA’s located significant (p < 0.05) differences between subjects and for pre/post changes within subjects. Means and standard errors for notable, significant pre/post changes included: 1) a 54 ms migration of abdominal EMG onset toward GRF onset (from 68 ± 6 ms pre to 16 ± 3 ms post), 2) a 51 ms shortening of the lag between GRF and wrist motion onsets (from 265 ± 6 ms pre to 214 ± 5 ms post), and 3) a 0.7 m/s increase in velocity of the wrist motion (from 1.02 ± 0.09 m/s pre to 1.73 ± 0.22 m/s post). Descriptive profiles revealed improved spatiotemporal integration assessed by the increasing number of muscles contributing to the action and a realignment of the temporal sequence of EMG responses. These results will be discussed in terms of other research.

In conclusion these data provide evidence that movement repatterning results from breath and imagery training without focusing on muscular conditioning or the musculoskeletal aspects of performance.

This is the abstract of a paper presented at the Tenth Annual Meeting of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, held 27-29 October 2000 in Miami, Florida, USA. All rights are reserved by the individual author(s).