AbstractsPsychology

Proprioception is an integral component of the voluntary and involuntary motor control processes of the body. Studies have suggested that proprioception plays an important prophylactic role in preventing injuries and can be disrupted by unnecessary conscious attention, imposed during high-stress conditions and/or due to physiological processes of ageing and injury. A systematic in-depth analysis of published literature was therefore conducted to evaluate the current state of literature pertinent to joint stabilizers (e.g. compression, taping, braces), secondary tasks and their effects on proprioception and stability. The first systematic review and meta-analysis revealed beneficial aspects of joint stabilizers, namely compression garments and taping on knee (Hedge’s g: 0.48, 95%CI: 0.35- 0.61) and ankle (0.42, 0.18- 0.65) joint proprioception. A second systematic review revealed a 1b level of evidence for the efficacy of secondary task training procedures to enhance postural stability amongst elderly participants. The review also demonstrated that secondary tasks are less efficient in enhancing postural stability among participants with prior history of falls. Following the literature review, gaps in literature were identified and experimental studies were designed to address these gaps. In the first quasi-experimental study, the effects of below-knee compression garments and secondary tasks on knee joint proprioception were studied. Statistical analysis revealed main effects of both compression (p<0.001) and secondary task (p=0.04). Thereafter, a second quasi-experimental study evaluated the effects of secondary tasks on proprioception (joint repositioning task), peak jump velocity, peak jump height, pre and post exercise. The study revealed a significant (p<0.05) enhancement of proprioception accuracy when a secondary task was implemented, pre and post exercise. Likewise, large and small effect sizes were calculated for proprioception and peak jump velocity, in between trails, pre and post exercise. The research carried out in the thesis is novel as it demonstrates that below-knee compression and secondary tasks can improve proprioception of the knee. Clinical implications are discussed with respect to proprioception in modern sports and rehabilitation settings. Advisors/Committee Members: Driller, Matthew (advisor), Masters, Rich (advisor).