Monday, January 10, 2011

Inverted Winshield Wipers

This is an early phase neuromuscular exercise I am using for an athlete with a right shoulder subluxation.  Think of the Oregon sway drill with the hands gliding in an upside down windshield wiper pattern on the wall.  The glenohumeral jonint capsule remains protected throughout the exercise because the humerus remains in the scapular plane, and does not abduct above chest height.  The closed chain pressure on the hands combined with the total body movement challenges this athlete's shoulder stability within his zone of function.  No need to be concerned here about what muscle is firing when; the nervous system is conducting the concert.  I got the idea of these exercises from Mabel Todd's (Dance instructor @ Princeton U.) book, "The Thinking Body" published in 1937.  Doing the exercise with a partner, rather than the wall enhances it.

1 comment:

Brian Green said...

Thinkin outta the box...posts like these is why I love your blog....cheers