Review Article
Year: 2018 | Month: September | Volume: 8 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 225-234
Scientific Reconciliation of the Concepts and Principles of Rood Approach
Kuki Bordoloi1, Rup Sekhar Deka2
1PhD Scholar- Srimanta Shankardeva University of Health Sciences, Guwahati, Assam
2Associate professor, Dept of Anatomy, Gauhati Medical college, Srimanta Shankardeva University of Health Sciences, Guwahati, Assam
Corresponding Author: Kuki Bordoloi
ABSTRACT
Rood approach is a neurophysiological approach developed by Margaret Rood in 1940 based on reflex or hierarchical model of the central nervous system. Rood's basic concept was that motor patterns are developed from primitive reflexes through proper sensory stimuli to the appropriate sensory receptors in normal sequential developmental pattern to improve motor performance. Basic principles of Rood approach are normalization of tone, ontogenic developmental sequence, purposeful movement and repetition or practice. Though her theory originated in the 1940s, several revisions underwent before she died, the revision process has still continued till now on the basis of current neuro-scientific evidences. Rood approach has always been a topic of criticism due to the insufficient literature and incomplete background explanations. This paper comprises a brief explanation of the Rood approach and its scientific reconciliation with available literature which shows that many of the basic concepts are still valid and viable within current neuro-scientific thinking.
Key words: Rood, Neurophysiology, Neurofacilitation, Sensory stimulation, Physiotherapy.