Flow as an Embodied State. Informed Awareness of Slackline Walking

Montull, Lluc; Vázquez, Pablo; Rocas, Lluís; Hristovski, Robert; Balagué, Natàlia

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02993

Cited by 15 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Whereas in the BEG segment these processes compete over short time scales, resulting in a stabilizing effect (i.e., small fluctuations around the task goal); as the exercise proceeds the competition gradually shifts toward longer time scales (i.e., the participants need larger periods to recover the initial elbow angle). This general mechanism may be explained by the presence of negative feedback loops, where small positive (upward) deviations from the local average, as a consequence of central excitation, is being compensated for by subsequent negative (downward) fluctuations as a result of the coupling between the inhibitory processes and the pull of gravity ( Balagué et al, 2014 ; Vázquez et al, 2016 ; Montull et al, 2020 ). As fatigue develops, the neural, metabolic, and muscular network changes are reflected by lower muscle contractile ability due to a larger neural and metabolic inhibitory effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effects of effort accumulation on temporal properties of different potential coordinative collective variables (e.g., elbow joint angle, revolutions per minute during cycling, and acceleration during running) for different types of exercise have already been studied ( Balagué et al, 2014 ; Barbosa et al, 2018 ; Montull et al, 2020 ). However, little is known about the effects of fatigue on interlimb coordination, particularly in the view of spontaneous task-disengagement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interlimb Coordination: A New Order Parameter and a Marker of Fatigue During Quasi-Isometric Exercise?

et al. 2021

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Although exercise-induced fatigue has been mostly studied from a reductionist and component-dominant approach, some authors have started to test the general predictions of theories of self-organized change during exercises performed until exhaustion. However, little is known about the effects of fatigue on interlimb coordination in quasi-isometric actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise-induced fatigue on upper interlimb coordination during a quasi-isometric exercise performed until exhaustion. In order to do this, we hypothesized an order parameter that governs the interlimb coordination as an interlimb correlation measure. In line with general predictions of theory of phase transitions, we expected that the locally averaged values of the order parameter will increase as the fatigue driven system approaches the point of spontaneous task disengagement. Seven participants performed a quasi-isometric task holding an Olympic bar maintaining an initial elbow flexion of 90 degrees until fatigue induced spontaneous task disengagement. The variability of the elbow angle was recorded through electrogoniometry and the obtained time series were divided into three segments for further analysis. Running correlation function (RCF) and adopted bivariate phase rectified signal averaging (BPRSA) were applied to the corresponding initial (30%) and last (30%) segments of the time series. The results of both analyses showed that the interlimb correlation increased between the initial and the final segments of the performed task. Hence, the hypothesis of the research was supported by evidence. The enhancement of the correlation in the last part means a less flexible coordination among limbs. Our results also show that the high magnitude correlation (%RCF > 0.8) and the %Range (END-BEG) may prove to be useful markers to detect the effects of effort accumulation on interlimb coordination. These results may provide information about the loss of adaptability during exercises performed until exhaustion. Finally, we briefly discuss the hypothesis of the inhibitory percolation process being the general explanation of the spontaneous task disengagement phenomenon.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interlimb Coordination: A New Order Parameter and a Marker of Fatigue During Quasi-Isometric Exercise?

et al. 2021

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“…Supra-spinal/ Central pathways implicated in AMI: These pathways are hypothesized as supra-spinal projections from the joint afferents that influence AMI[ 21 , 75 ]. The changes include four main areas: (1) Cortico-spinal excitability/activity affecting the somatosensory cortex[ 22 ]; (2) Brainstem descending pathways[ 76 ] and the flexion reflex[ 75 ], with efferent commands modulated by afferent input; (3) Individual voluntary effort[ 21 ]; and (4) ‘Informed awareness’ that amalgamates behavior and ‘flow-experience’[ 77 ]. These supra-spinal actions affect both neuroplasticity[ 42 , 43 , 78 ] and movement-fluency[ 79 ] to facilitate global equilibrium control.…”

Section: Arthrogenic Muscles Inhibition — Current Conceptsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is achieved through a combination of: neurological system controls from centrally derived dampening of the down-regulation that causes reflex inhibition at both the central[ 78 , 100 ] and spinal segmental level[ 71 ]; and learned motor skills, from muscle recruitment through higher demand[ 78 , 101 ], that, subsequently improves coordination of movement and control[ 11 , 31 ]. However, there is also the consideration of mindfulness and flow-experience[ 77 ], the mind-body interaction that enables the movement-fluency[ 79 ] required to achieve and pursue slacklining as a tool for social, pleasure, pre- or re-habilitation purposes[ 29 , 37 ].…”

Section: Slacklining and Adjuvant Therapeutic Exercisementioning

confidence: 99%

Slacklining as therapy to address non-specific low back pain in the presence of multifidus arthrogenic muscle inhibition

Gabel¹,

Mokhtarinia²,

Melloh³

et al. 2021

WJO

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Low back pain (LBP) represents the most prevalent, problematic and painful of musculoskeletal conditions that affects both the individual and society with health and economic concerns. LBP is a heterogeneous condition with multiple diagnoses and causes. In the absence of consensus definitions, partly because of terminology inconsistency, it is further referred to as non-specific LBP (NSLBP). In NSLBP patients, the lumbar multifidus (MF), a key stabilizing muscle, has a depleted role due to recognized myocellular lipid infiltration and wasting, with the potential primary cause hypothesized as arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). This link between AMI and NSLBP continues to gain increasing recognition. To date there is no ‘gold standard’ or consensus treatment to alleviate symptoms and disability due to NSLBP, though the advocated interventions are numerous, with marked variations in costs and levels of supportive evidence. However, there is consensus that NSLBP management be cost-effective, self-administered, educational, exercise-based, and use multi-modal and multi-disciplinary approaches. An adjuvant therapy fulfilling these consensus criteria is ‘slacklining’, within an overall rehabilitation program. Slacklining, the neuromechanical action of balance retention on a tightened band, induces strategic indirect-involuntary therapeutic muscle activation exercise incorporating spinal motor control. Though several models have been proposed, understanding slacklining’s neuro-motor mechanism of action remains incomplete. Slacklining has demonstrated clinical effects to overcome AMI in peripheral joints, particularly the knee, and is reported in clinical case-studies as showing promising results in reducing NSLBP related to MF deficiency induced through AMI (MF-AMI). Therefore, this paper aims to: rationalize why and how adjuvant, slacklining therapeutic exercise may positively affect patients with NSLBP, due to MF-AMI induced depletion of spinal stabilization; considers current understandings and interventions for NSLBP, including the contributing role of MF-AMI; and details the reasons why slacklining could be considered as a potential adjuvant intervention for NSLBP through its indirect-involuntary action. This action is hypothesized to occur through an over-ride or inhibition of central down-regulatory induced muscle insufficiency, present due to AMI. This subsequently allows neuroplasticity, normal neuro-motor sequencing and muscle re-activation, which facilitates innate advantageous spinal stabilization. This in-turn addresses and reduces NSLBP, its concurrent symptoms and functional disability. This process is hypothesized to occur through four neuro-physiological processing pathways: finite neural delay; movement-control phenotypes; inhibition of action and the innate primordial imperative; and accentuated corticospinal drive. Further research is recommended to investigate these hypotheses and the effect of slacklining as an adjuvant therapy in cohort and control studies of NSLBP populations.

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“…The selection of the type of activity, taking into account what is meaningful and attractive for the user, increases adherence to the practice, and periodization based on self-regulation and self-monitoring guarantees healthy and safe practices. As different internal and external constraints influence the individual mind-body states at very fast timescales [18], and these fast changes are hard to be captured through conventional monitoring systems, the development of somatic awareness [10,19] of users/patients is crucial. It may help to regulate and adjust, on a daily basis, active and resting periods, frequency, intensity, duration, etc., of exercise to promote healthy mind-body states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthy Teleworking: Towards Personalized Exercise Recommendations

2021

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Home-based teleworking, associated with sedentary behavior, may impair self-reported adult health status. Current exercise recommendations, based on universal recipes, may be insufficient or even misleading to promote healthy teleworking. From the Network Physiology of Exercise perspective, health is redefined as an adaptive emergent state, product of dynamic interactions among multiple levels (from genetic to social) that cannot be reduced to a few dimensions. Under such a perspective, fitness development is focused on enhancing the individual functional diversity potential, which is better achieved through varied and personalized exercise proposals. This paper discusses some myths related to ideal or unique recommendations, like the ideal exercise or posture, and the contribution of recent computer technologies and applications for prescribing exercise and assessing fitness. Highlighting the need for creating personalized working environments and strengthening the active contribution of users in the process, new recommendations related to teleworking posture, home exercise counselling, exercise monitoring and to the roles of healthcare and exercise professionals are proposed. Instead of exercise prescribers, professionals act as co-designers that help users to learn, co-adapt and adequately contextualize exercise in order to promote their somatic awareness, job satisfaction, productivity, work–life balance, wellbeing and health.

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Flow as an Embodied State. Informed Awareness of Slackline Walking

Cited by 15 publications

References 61 publications

Interlimb Coordination: A New Order Parameter and a Marker of Fatigue During Quasi-Isometric Exercise?

Interlimb Coordination: A New Order Parameter and a Marker of Fatigue During Quasi-Isometric Exercise?

Slacklining as therapy to address non-specific low back pain in the presence of multifidus arthrogenic muscle inhibition

Healthy Teleworking: Towards Personalized Exercise Recommendations

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