Healthy body imagery and sensory system forms with a normal neurodevelopmental process. Primitive reflexes, postural reflexes, and sensory functions are stimulated during development (e.g., rolling, creeping, crawling, walking). If something goes awry (e.g., atypical birth history; early or late walking), body imagery can be adversely affected.

Primitive reflexes are essentially what guides infantile movements and are effective at rehabilitating body imagery. They are very easy to rehab. Just low effort resistance in the correct patterns of the reflex.

What do we know about primitive reflexes for musculoskeletal pain:

  • Having primitive reflexes interferes with normal motor control and coordination
  • Having primitive reflexes interferes with learning motor control exercise or normal movement
  • Motor imagery is reduced when primitive reflexes are present
  • Primitive reflex inhibition helps improve motor control and movement
  • Primitive reflex inhibition helps postural stability and balance
  • Primitive reflex inhibition helps aspects of neurocognitive function
  • Primitive reflex inhibition helps motor imagery

Body Imagery is the way one’s body feels to its owner. If you close your eyes, and think about a part of your body, are you aware of the outline of your body? This includes, the shape, contours, alignment in space, and sense of weight distribution. Body Imagery is closely related to motor imagery. So this feeling is also dynamic. Ideally this motor imagery would be intrinsic and not extrinsic. Body Imagery is believed to depend on sensory motor input. It is very plastic and can change quickly.

  • Body Image is distorted in chronic pain.
  • Body image is distorted in people with atypical birth histories, handedness, previous concussions, dizziness and other neurological incidents.

This has widespread implications for:

  • coordination and motor skill learning
  • non mechanical pain
  • behavioral conditions

Original research has identified a fascinating new assessment and rehabilitation approach. This is addition to the neurodevelopmental process we have been researching and developing for over two decades.

How do you assess body imagery? Body image drawing, motor imagery, physical assessment

How do you rehab body imagery? Neurodevelopmental rehab, vestibular stimulation, specific sensory motor rehab

We offer a series of highly integrative and evidence based courses suitable for numerous therapists that treat pain, movement or sensory motor function.