| REZUMAT: |
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) uses the body’s
proprioceptive system to ease or inhibit muscle contraction. These techniques
are based on Sherrington’s reciprocal inhibition, innervation and irradiation
principles (1).
PNF techniques were developed in the 1940-1950 and they are the
result of Kabat’s, Knott’s and Voss’s work (1, 2). They combine the research
of functional movement with theories of motor development, motor control,
motor learning and neurophysiological theories (3).
Harman Kabat first used the PNF techniques on young people with
cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders (2, 4).
D. Voss defines neuroproprioceptive facilitation as a promotion or
acceleration method of the neuromuscular system’s response by
proprioceptors’ stimulation. The muscles must work in synergy in order to
achieve the movement. This requires that the muscles should have the reflex
capacity of contraction and relaxation to perform the basic movement. The
basis of functional training is the ability to create a balance between mobility
and stability (5). |
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