Many individuals appear to underestimate the importance of the mind-body connection in relation to achieving a greater performance. Despite the incontrovertible fact that we regularly allow its influence to go unnoticed, it’s something that’s all the time present.
We understand the mind-body connection to be the connection between the mental processes and the way the muscles work. Alternatively, we will explain it because the union of the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system. This can be a two-way relationship; the brain sends signals that affect the muscles, however the physical sensations the body feels even have the facility to influence the mind.
The importance of this connection comes from the incontrovertible fact that it directly intervenes within the means of muscle contraction and rest. Moreover, it has a primordial role in healing from injuriesmuch like proprioception. That is the body’s awareness of position, posture, movement, and changes. Below, we take a take a look at what the mind-body connection is all about and why it’s so necessary.
The mind-body connection: what’s it?
As we mentioned above, the mind-body connection is the union between the nervous system and the muscles. On essentially the most basic level, it’s the connection between neurons and muscle fibers or tendons. This has a vital role in relation to mobility and sensation.
There are 2 major structures that completely represent the mind-body connection. And, they’re as follows:
- Neuromuscular spindle: it is a stretching receptor that we will find in nearly all of musculoskeletal systems made by fibers wrapped in nerve endings. When the nerves detect that a muscle overstretched, the spindle reacts with a myotatic reflex, a fast and brisk contraction within the hope to avoid injury.
- Golgi tendon organ: situated within the union between the muscle and the tendon, this organ plays a fundamental role within the prevention of injuries. When the muscle excessively contracts, the Golgi tendon organ prompts and transmits the painful information to the spinal cord.
Why is the mind-body connection so necessary?
When you understand what the mind-body connection is, the subsequent step is to dig slightly deeper into why it’s so necessary for sporting performance.
1. It plays a fundamental role in avoiding injuries
Above, we hinted that the major function of the mind-body connection is to stop injuries. The feeling of pain that our muscles produce is a signal that something isn’t going well. It’s our bodies’ way of advising us to stop or warning us that we’re not doing an exercise accurately.
If our muscles didn’t end in nerve endings, we wouldn’t give you the option to guard ourselves; we’d find yourself hurting ourselves more incessantly, and so they’d be more serious and long-lasting.
For that reason, it is best to never ignore any pain that you’re feeling after training or after doing certain exercises. Unfortunately, a number of people have a dangerous belief that pain is a signal that you simply’re working hardbut that couldn’t be farther from the reality. Ignoring it only increases your possibilities of hurting yourself.
2. It’s a vital a part of your balance and body position
Proprioception informs you about your body position in a determined space. This sense stretches to take care of balance, coordination, and spatial awareness.
The mind-body connection plays an enormous part within the proprioception system. The electrical impulses that generate within the neuromuscular spindle and within the Golgi tendon organ go to the brain. The brain then processes and organizes all of the sensations related to the muscle positions.
In truth, it’s quite common on your body to work proprioceptively in relation to healing injuries. In line with a study published within the International Journal for Medicine and the Science of Physical Activities and Sport (International Journal of Medicine and Sciences of Physical Activity and Sport), proprioception is an efficient tool in the course of the rehabilitation process after knee surgery.
3. It favors muscular control and coordination
Certainly one of the benefits of specializing in working on the mind-body connection si that it could possibly aid you to higher control your movements.
Coordination is all a couple of correct synchronization between the orders the brain sends and the movements the body does. This synchronization is prime to do movements with fluidity and precisionand much more so whenever you attempt to learn latest motor skills. It is because you might have to amass coordination little by little.
Don’t forget to work in your mind-body connection
Although this relationship between neurons and muscles is something quite technical and specific, you possibly can actually train it anywhere without specific equipment. With regards to proprioception, there are specific tools it is advisable to strengthen it, like bosu balls or foam noodles.
Nonetheless, you can even train this ability by adding instability, like holding your weight on one leg. Now : in an effort to prevent injuries and improve your sporting performance, remember what we told you in this text!
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