Motor Control

The neuromuscular ability to coordinate muscle activation patterns to produce a desired movement. In biomechanical assessment, motor control refers to the ability to use available range of motion under voluntary control. A joint may have full passive ROM but limited active ROM -- the difference is a motor control deficit.

Motor control deficits explain why stretching alone often fails to resolve movement restrictions. A client may have adequate passive hip internal rotation but cannot access it during a squat. The tissue length exists, but the neuromuscular system has not learned to use it. Motor control training (targeted exercises that teach the nervous system to access available range) is a distinct intervention from mobility work (increasing tissue length). Confusing the two leads to wasted programming.