ZeSa® Benefits for Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention and Recovery
Over $600B is spent annually in the USA due to musculoskeletal injuries (MSK). Athletic injuries are mainly joint related and can end careers, with joint anatomy (ankles, knees, hips and shoulders) being the most prone to serious injury. Many of these injuries are directly related to weakness of supporting muscles surrounding the joints and lack of Balance-Strength™. Post injury rehab patients not only have deficits in high-level motor unit activation and coordination, but also sensory integration. With most injuries, thousands of sensory receptors are destroyed, resulting in chronic joint instability. ZeSa Balance-Strength™ training can lead to reduction in injuries and associated costs, reduce the chance of re-injury, and improve muscle imbalances and athletic performance.
Studies show that effective injury prevention and recovery requires a high focus on joint stabilization. Multiple scientific studies show the importance and success of a Dynamic Balance Training program in preventing and reducing MSK injuries by stabilizing joints and improving balance and neuromuscular control, including proprioception. Improving balance and proprioception addresses constraints such as orientation in space, changes in direction, and the speed or height of the body’s center of mass during static and dynamic situations, which players experience constantly on the field and court. Improving neuromuscular control and the ability to balance also affects reaction times, and less than optimal reaction times can lead to MSK injuries. By placing the body in a multi-sensory environment (unstable yet controlled) the brain learns how to manipulate the MSK system to produce movement with the right amount of force at the right time. If the structures of the brain are never challenged, they will never be forced to adapt and improve (neuroplasticity) in their functional capabilities.[1] Improvements in neuro-functional capabilities can translate to a reduction in MSK injuries.
Progressive tools are necessary to progress muscle adaptation and control following an injury or surgery, and ALL muscle layers must be fired for strength and stability (also known as Dynamic Stability). Numerous scientific studies show Dynamic Balance Training can be an essential component in recovery from an injury or surgery by restoring dynamic stability and fine motor control at an injured joint for a more functional return to everyday functional activities and recreational, youth, high school, college, pro and olympic athletics. The peripheral nervous system can regenerate, and ZeSa’s progressive system provides the tools to help accomplish regeneration and muscle recovery, safely and effectively. Dynamic Balance Training also facilitates body awareness with the benefit of “remembered” reactions to imbalance created in training situations. Balance awareness becomes an innate, automatic skill. The ideal balance program is one that challenges both static and dynamic balance with a focus on coordination.[2]
Many studies demonstrate that the addition of dynamic balance training to resistance training programs can also provide significant adaptations to improve trunk strength. In one study, not only did this type of training improve trunk extension peak torque/body weight by 23.6% and total work output by 20.1%, it also improved knee proprioception by 44.7% from pre- to post-training, AND persisted by 21.5% for 9 months post training. This study went on to state that this type of training provides not only prolonged improvements in joint proprioception and core strength, it may also result in reduced joint injuries over a protracted period.[3]
ZeSa® Dynamic Balance-Strength Training System™ trains the neuromuscular system and stabilizes and strengthens the entire MSK system, including ligaments and tendons surrounding joints most prone to overuse and injury (ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders). This mitigates joint instability while simultaneously training major skeletal muscles and the associated stabilizing muscles. Additionally, ZeSa’s progressive system provides low to no impact training methods which reduce the incidence of training-induced injuries and is suitable for all ages, fitness and athletic levels.
[1] NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training, 7th Edition, Chapter 7: Intro to Human Movement Science.
[2] https://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/balance-training-athletes.htm
[3] Cuğ M, Ak E, Ozdemir RA, Korkusuz F, Behm DG. The effect of instability training on knee joint proprioception and core strength. J Sports Sci Med. 2012 Sep 1;11(3):468-74.