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Reflexlocomotion was developed by the Paediatric Neurologist, Prof. Dr. Vojta at the beginning of the 1950's and since then has been systematically developed further. Today it has a wide application in the therapeutic field.
This therapy form was developed in an empirical manner. Prof. Dr. Vojta observed motor reactions occurring through out the entire body as a result of specific peripheral stimulation given with the patient placed in specific positions. He established that components of this provoked global dynamic muscleactivity can be found in all forms of human locomotion.
"Global patterns" form the basis of Reflexlocomotion. These were discovered by Vojta in 1954. The term "global pattern" refers to the motor responses that arise during the application of Reflexlocomotion. Skeletal musculature through out the entire body is activated in a coordinated manner and the centralnervous system is addressed at all it's regulatory levels.
Besides the skeletal musculature, muscles involved in facial expression, eye movements, the swallowing process, bladder and bowel function, and breathing are also activated. This flow of authentic motor reactions is provoked by graded pressure applied on certain body parts which are called "zones", with the patient placed inspecific positions (supine, side-lying, and prone) and are reproducible at any time. They are part of human movement processes such as grasping, rolling, creeping, crawling, and walking. Global patterns form the basis of the motor rehabilitation of babies, children, adolescents, and adults.
The therapeutic goals of Reflexlocomotion are: to facilitate the automatic regulation or control of the body's position, to facilitate the active maintenance of the support function of the extremities, and to stimulate coordinated muscle activity. These skills are disturbed to a greater or lesser extent in every central or peripheral lesion of the nervous systems or impairment of the movement apparatus. The pathological, substitute patterns of movement that then arise can be treated by Reflexlocomotion.
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