This week we focus on sensory motor amnesia, what it is, what causes it, and what the downstream consequences are.

Basically, our bodies are designed to move. If our movement is compromised or inadequate, bad things begin to happen. Our tissues and interstitial fluids become gummed up and sludgy. This sludge compromises our sensory nerve receptors which then generate pain.

To avoid pain we move less. As the saying goes, if you don't move it you will lose it. Our proprioception and spatial awareness slowly go offline, and our body image becomes increasingly blurry and compromised. If our brain does not have a good representation of our body and we continues to push forward, we do so only with compensation. We become increasingly inefficient both biomechanically and energetically.

Sensory motor amnesia

Reduced movement leads to increased viscosity of hyaluronan between the tissue surfaces creating friction in the sensory nerve receptors and ultimately pain. As a consequence we move less to avoid pain which exacerbates the viscosity of the hyaluronan, the pull on the sensory nerve receptors, and pain. Prolonged disuse of any area will slowly drop it our of our body image. This is the genesis of sensory motor amnesia.

The loss of localized awareness and proprioception gradually becomes more and more a system wide phenomenon where we are literally becoming disconnected from our bodies. We are losing our bodies. With time we develop a tolerance to pain, so that we can continue to live our lives. As a consequence the area developing sensory motor amnesia slowly drops out of our body image and goes off our radar. As a result the brain recruits alternate tissues to compensate and get the job done.

Proprioception

We know that proprioception and pain are like oil and water. They don’t mix well. The more we feel pain the more our proprioception is down regulated. This leads to an increasing lack of spacial awareness and compromised movement.

Over time (with age) our body continues to respond to the demands placed upon it and will lay down additional collagen to help solidify and provide additional support while you engage in your chosen activities. As our bodies become increasingly glued down, in an attempt to give us support, more tissue is lost to sensory motor amnesia and compensation that will compromise our mobility and ultimately lead to an exacerbated pain situation.

Compromised body image

As a culture we run the risk of losing our bodies. We have so much sensory motor amnesia as a result of poor movement practices/behaviour. If you don’t move an area of your body, that area will fall out of your body image that is constructed in the brain.

If you don’t move it you will lose it

What is very very clear about all the neurology that’s in the fascia, is that if you don’t move it, you will loose it out of your body image.

Compensation

Now if you have those areas of sensory motor amnesia, areas that have dropped out of your body images, you will begin to compensate by recruiting alternate tissues, in an attempt to get the job done.

You will get the job done, but at what price. As areas of your body continue to go off the radar, compensations and coping strategies will accrue leading to increasingly inefficient movement behaviour, and energy expenditure. This will take your body in a direction that is less than optimal, while potentially leading to chronic pain and dysfunction over months and years.

Join us next week for:
"Health is not the absence of disease"

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