Why is trunk control important?
Sitting trunk control refers to the ability to maintain an upright and stable trunk position while seated. This ability is essential to perform various activities of daily living and to perform motor and functional functions.
Good pelvic and trunk support is necessary for many daily activities:
Postural Stability: Sitting trunk control provides a solid foundation for the rest of the body. It is essential for everyone, but especially when the person is not able to stand upright, we need to facilitate good postural control while seated, in his or her wheelchair.
Participation in Daily Activities: Many daily activities require good sitting trunk control, such as eating, toileting, dressing and manipulating objects. Lack of trunk control may make it difficult to perform these activities independently.
Social Interaction: Sitting trunk control is essential for maintaining an upright position and keeping up with others during social interactions. This can influence self-esteem and self-confidence, as it facilitates more active participation in conversations and social activities.
Cognitive and Learning Functions: Sitting trunk control also has implications for cognitive and learning functions. Sitting in a stable manner allows people to concentrate on cognitive tasks, such as reading, writing or working on a computer, without the distraction of having to constantly hold the position.
Prevention: Lack of seated trunk control can increase the risk of health complications, such as muscle contractures, postural deformities and respiratory problems. Maintaining proper posture while sitting can help prevent these complications.
Now that we have recalled the importance of enhancing trunk control while seated, let’s see some ideas of exercises with this therapeutic objective.
How to enhance trunk control with exercises?
Some common exercises to enhance seated trunk control are:
- Seated Trunk Rotation:
- Sitting on a chair with the back straight and the feet flat on the floor.
- The patient gently rotates the trunk to the right and then to the left, keeping the feet and hips stable.
- Balancing on Bobath Ball:
- Sitting on a large exercise ball (Bobath ball) with feet flat on the floor.
- The patient performs gentle rocking movements forward and backward, maintaining balance and controlling the movement with the trunk.
- Varying the amplitude and swing speed.
- Arm Lift:
- Sitting on a chair with the back straight and the feet on the floor.
- The patient raises arms upward, keeping elbows slightly bent.
- The patient holds the position for a few seconds and then slowly lowers the arms.
- Lateral Weight Shift:
- Starting from the upright posture, patients gently shift their weight from one side to the other, lifting one buttock off the seat and then the other.
- Maintaining the trunk upright and controling the balance.
- Flexion – extension of contralateral limbs:
- Extending the right arm forward at the same time as stretching the left leg forward.
- Alternate with the left arm and right leg.
- Maintaining balance and controling the movement of the trunk during the exercises.
- Seated hip flexion:
- Lifting one knee to the chest, keeping the back straight and the trunk stable.
- Alternating the mobility of both legs, without losing balance while seated.
These exercises may be suitable for people of different ages and skill levels. Remember that it is important to adapt the exercises according to the individual needs of each patient.
Trunk control virtual exercises
In this image we can see how a patient is performing a seated trunk lateralization exercise. He is using the Rehametrics Physiotherapy Software , is positioned in front of the TV and , thanks to the Kinect sensor’s movement register, e can interact with the activity displayed on the screen. With the movements of his trunk, he controls the movement of the pirate on this virtual island and the goal is to avoid the coconuts thrown by the monkeys.
In addition, automatically, the program adjusts the difficulty to achieve the optimal point of demand, adapting to the patient’ s responses. Moreover, the professional can modify the parameters of speed, sensitivity, difficulty and exercise time, to fully customize these virtual exercises.
Virtual exercises for rehabilitation have been shown to be effective in improving motivation and active participation of patients during therapy sessions. Therefore, the greater the patient’s participation, more repetitions and more intensity, the better the treatment results.
Not only exercises to improve trunk control in seated position, you will also find exercises to rehabilitate balance, gait, coordination, laterality, articular ranges and a long etcetera of virtual activities to be used in rehabilitation.
