Definition
Motor control is the coordinated regulation of muscle activity by the nervous system to produce purposeful movement. It involves feed-forward prediction, real-time feedback, and constant recalibration.
Why it matters
Understanding motor control as prediction-and-feedback clarifies why practice, attention, and safety all matter for movement rehabilitation.
The Science
Motor control involves cerebellum, basal ganglia, motor cortex, spinal circuits, and proprioceptive feedback. Optimal feedback control and internal models are central frameworks.
The NSI Perspective
NSI treats motor control as neuroscience in action — not mere mechanics.
Clinical Implications
Rehabilitation informed by motor-control principles outperforms strength-only or stretch-only approaches.
Practical Application
How you move is how your nervous system predicts and updates. Practice attention, not just repetition.
References
- 1.Shadmehr R, Krakauer JW. A computational neuroanatomy for motor control. Exp Brain Res. 2008;185(3):359–381.