Motor control in musculsoskeletal physiotherapy: a concept analysis

Background research and clinical practice however the meaning of the term is unclear. A review of the literature revealed variation in the use of the concept of motor control within and between the specialties of the physiotherapy profession. In addition, the literature identi interchangeably with terms such as neuromotor control and neuromuscular control. The ambiguity of the term may cause miscommunication and misunderstanding in physiotherapy education, research and clinical practice.: The term motor control is used commonly in physiotherapyfied that motor control is used Purpose (MSK) physiotherapy practice.: To clarify the concept of motor control and its use in musculoskeletal Methods investigate the socially constructed concept of motor control. Literature between 2009 to 2014 was selected from CINAHL, AMED and Medline databases to provide contemporary, peer reviewed and relevant data on the concept. Two hundred and ten abstracts were reviewed from which 50 studies were included in the analysis due to their relevance to physiotherapy practice. An inductive process of analysis was used to collect the attributes, antecedents, consequences and related terms of the concept of motor control.: The evolutionary method of concept analysis was used to Results the literature that included musculoskeletal, neurological and paediatric physiotherapy specialty areas. The highest number of research articles that used motor control was within the musculoskeletal literature (n The term motor control was used interchangeably with neuromuscular control, neuromotor control and core stability. The MSK literature tended to focus on the balance between movement production and motion stability whereas the neurological physiotherapy literature tended to focus on the function and purpose of movement. The paediatric physiotherapy literature had a tendency to focus on individuals: Forty-one different attributes of motor control were identified in¼35).’ interactions with the environment. The majority of the MSK literature focused on spinal rehabilitation (n 35). Eighteen of the 26 spinal rehabilitation research papers used Panjabi's spinal stability model as a fundamental basis for this research.¼26/ Conclusion open to interpretation. There is inconsistency in its meaning within and between physiotherapy specialities. The use of the concept of motor control is determined by the context in which it is delivered, including its underlying theoretical model and when the research was conducted.:Motor control is a broad, vague and ambiguous concept that is Implications problematic in clinical practice, education and research resulting in an inappropriate application or interpretation of the concept. A recommendation from this research paper is that a Delphi study may be helpful to bring consensus to the meaning of motor control within physiotherapy.: The lack of clarity of the concept of motor control could be problematic in clinical practice, education and research resulting in an inappropriate application or interpretation of the concept. A recommendation from this research paper is that a Delphi study may be helpful to bring consensus to the meaning of motor control within physiotherapy.