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Motor Control Theories in Physiotherapy: Implications for Current Clinical Practice
 
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International Journal of Physiotherapy Research and Clinical Practice

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Motor Control Theories in Physiotherapy: Implications for Current Clinical Practice
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International Journal of Physiotherapy Research and Clinical Practice

DOI: 10.54839/ijprcp.v4i1.25.36

Year: 2025, Volume: 4, Issue: 1, Pages: 14–18

Review Article

Motor Control Theories in Physiotherapy: Implications for Current Clinical Practice

Alagappan Thiyagarajan1,∗, Rajan Balakrishnan1, S Jeyakumar2, Krishna 3

1Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing, Health Sciences and Education, School of Physiotherapy, Mahsa University, Selangor, Malaysia
2Professor Cum Research Supervisor, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
3Physiotherapist, First Step Physiotherapy Clinic Private Ltd, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

*Corresponding Author
Email: alagappanphd@gmail.com

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Motor control theories have long served as the foundation for understanding movement and guiding rehabilitation in physiotherapy. These frameworks offer insights into how the body and brain coordinate actions, adapt to environments, and learn or re-learn motor tasks. This narrative review explores the main motor control theories—reflex, hierarchical, motor programming, systems, dynamic systems, and ecological—and discusses their relevance and integration in current physiotherapy practice. Each theory offers unique contributions to understanding human movement, and modern physiotherapy benefits from combining these perspectives. An integrative, patient-centered approach allows for more effective, adaptable, and functionally meaningful interventions across diverse populations. While no single model is comprehensive, their collective application forms a robust foundation for clinical reasoning, rehabilitation planning, and outcome evaluation. Future work should focus on bridging theoretical models with practical tools, improving accessibility and impact in real-world therapy settings.

Keywords: Motor control, Physiotherapy, Movement rehabilitation, Clinical reasoning

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Copyright

@ 2025 Published by Krupanidhi College of Physiotherapy. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

  • 26 November 2025

Year: 2025, Volume: 4, Issue: 1


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