Cross Crawl Exercise

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<Some of you out there might be familiar with the " cross crawl " exercise

commonly given out by chiropractors or AK practitioners. They will get you

to march on the spot (or lying on your back). At times, and to the suprise

of many, this cannot be performed properly. This exercise involves lifting

the right arm concurrently with the left leg and vice versa... simulating a

gait pattern.

** The motor patterns during standing or supine " cross crawling " are very

different from those in normal upright walking, especially since horizontal

propulsion, dynamic balance and ballistic actions are involved in the

latter. In addition, the patterns of activation of 'stabilising' and

'mobilising' muscle groups, as well as the timing, peak power production and

rate of force development are not at all the same.

A huge body of research has been done in gait research and it would be

interesting to see any chiropractic (AK is just another popular chiro method

of " muscle testing " ) can find any evidence to show how these studies

correlate with that uncorroborated " cross crawling " hypothesis. Once again,

it appears as if someone is attempting to give some aura of scientific

respectability to yet another personal test of dubious value.

<It has been suggested (don't know of any research to back it up?) that the

inability to perform the cross crawl has been associated with impairment of

cognitive and motor abilities.

I have read this, where it can be attributed to the lack of firing of the

paleocortex. As both motor and cognitive abilities are primarily from the

frontal lobe, would an exercise like the cross crawl initiate some form of

proprioceptive stimulation (mechanoreceptors etc) to this lobe of the brain?>

*** My wife and I have worked with many disabled children and have not found

that such children as a general rule are cognitively impaired by their motor

problems. There are many cases in history where very cognitively capable

people have suffered from various motorsensory problems.

It is far too simplistic to regard any region of the brain as being more

important than others in motor or cognitive functions, both of which rely on

the intricate interplay between many different regions of the brain and

nervous system. If you read through our archives, you will find several

articles which I posted on brain function, including one which stated that

some motor regions like the cerebellum also are involved with emotion. There

are many scientific journals which provide MRI and PET scans which show how

many parts of the brain are involved with all different human activities, so

those who make such statements simply need to study this literature a little

more thoroughly. Moreover, if the palaeocortex does not fire at all, you

are dead.

While natural motor activities indeed play a role in overall human mental,

physical and social development, there is no evidence at all that any

specific single exercise like " cross crawling " is superior in any way to any

other simple or complex exercise. Why not simply prescribe swimming, where

the additional stimulation provided by pressure, bouyancy, force and

temperature changes would offer even better stimulation and conditioning than

" cross crawling " ? Of course, that wouldn't rake in the profits or create an

aura of technical originality, would it?

<As an example (as I read it) if kids learn to walk too soon, they don't

develop paleocortical pathways and as a result, they suffer cortically (ADD,

slow learners etc).>

*** It would be interesting to read any references which support this

viewpoint, especially since nobody has yet found any consistent and definite

cause for ADD. Incidentally, where did you read about this?

Dr Mel C Siff

Denver, USA

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/