Posts Tagged ‘Down syndrome’

8th day of Fitness- March series Goal of movement- the goal of the marching movement is to improve hip strength with side to side weightshift, improve balance with the signle leg weightshift, improve sequencing with the alternating pattern to midline, and improve general strength through the trunk, core and gluteals. Start with the first progression,…

7th day of Fitness- Planks Goal of movement- the goal of a plank is to activate a variety of core muscles including the abdominals, gluteals, latissimus (back) muscles, and stabilizers through the shoulder joint.  In our participants, because of the increased flexibility, individuals with Ds often sway through the low back.  If the participant moves…

6th day of Fitness- Anterior/Posterior tilts Goal of movement- the goal of the forward/backward tilts is to calibrate the visual-vestibular coordination.  The forward and backward movements challenge the eyes to refocus on the environment as it moves closer and farther from the head as the body moves in space. this helps to coordinate the visual…

5th day of Fitness- Quadruped series Goal of movement- the goal of the quadruped positions is to increase joint input at the hands, shoulders, and knees, achieve a neutral spine position (no arching or rounding), and increase abdominal and gluteal activation in a gentle position. Start with the first progression, if it is too easy…

4th day of Fitness- Push-ups Goal of Movement- traditionally the goal of a push-up is to strengthen the chest and shoulders, however, for our participants the greater benefit of a push-up is the abdominal activation and strengthening, gluteal activation and strengthening, and increased sensory input to the hands and shoulder joint. Start with the first…

3rd day of Fitness- Lateral tilts Goal of movement- the goal of lateral tilts is to increase visual-vestibular coordination.  Leaning the body from side to side helps to calibrate the input that the brain is receiving from both the eyes (as the world visually seems to move) and from the body (as it moves).  Additionally,…

2nd day of Fitness- Standing Hip Abduction Goal of movement- the goal is to use the muscles along the sides of the hips, to provide increased stability at the hip joint.  This movement requires increased stability in the standing leg while supporting the active movement of the moving leg.  Key muscles are the gluteals, hip…