Bilateral Transfer Techniques
Bilateral Transfer Techniques
Bilateral transfer techniques are based on a situation where the exercises learned in one limb can help improve the performance of the opposite limb through the process of transferring skills. The introduction of this concept is mainly among the main reasons for its application in helping patients recover from injuries and its use in learning skills faster and also improving motor function of patients.
What are bilateral transfer techniques and how do they work?
Bilateral transfer methodologies are the methods used to aid the transfer of learning from one side of the body to the other. An activity like throwing a ball with the right hand, and the practice of such a skill, involves the coordination and motor skills which are developed in turn for the benefit of the left hand that later tries the same exercise. This effect is especially useful in the case of rehab facilities, where doing better in the non-dominant limb can also improve the whole physical performance.
What are some practical applications of bilateral transfer techniques?
Bilateral transfer techniques are often applied in the fields of physical therapy and sports training. For example, an athlete, who is healing from an injury, can first perform the movements with their uninjured limb. It is also possible to strengthen the injury limb by means of the neural pathways. In the same way, the scenario in a rehabilitation program for a stroke patient is to practice the tasks with the side of the body they are not affected by the stroke, then the movement on the affected side will improve quicker, and so the recovery will be faster.
Are there specific exercises that leverage bilateral transfer techniques?
Absolutely, specific movements can be improved by implementing a bilateral transfer technique. For instance, a standard exercise is to do a set of arm raises or leg lifts with one limb being the main actor and the other one passively performing similar movements. This can represent the case with the activity of using a resistance band to make one arm stronger while the other arm imitates the same motion, hence promoting both limbs' skill transfer and strengthening.
What factors influence the effectiveness of bilateral transfer techniques?
Bilateral transference methods can be affected by a number of things such as the tasks that are being done, the person's previous encounter with the task, and the time he/she has spent practicing the task. Studies for example, bringing a throwing ball with both hands and throwing it with one hand, show that the more closely-related the tasks are, the more skills can be transferred. Likewise, people who have a lot of experience in a certain area typically experience a bearable bilateral transfer effect.