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Repetition is a core principle of neurorehabilitation. Each time a movement or task is repeated, the brain strengthens the connections between neurons involved in that action (neuroplasticity) and builds new pathways to circumvent those that have been damaged. You all know that, right?

What you may not know is that rehearsing specific movements or actions in your head without physically performing them activates the same brain areas as those involved in real movement. In other words, when done repeatedly, visualising a process before performing it reinforces neuroplasticity and enhances recovery. Aristotle thought we are what we repeatedly do; I would add that we are also what we repeatedly think.

For those of you who like detailed explanations, the neural activity associated with motor imagery (visualisation) can be seen by using the state-space representation of a linear time-invariant (LTI) system in control theory: {dx(t)}{dt} = A x(t) + B u(t), where x(t)x(t) represents the neural activity, AA represents the connectivity matrix, BB represents the input matrix, and u(t)u(t) represents the input to the neural network. See me in the gym if you need clarification.

Nobody is saying that motor imaging is a miracle fix for neurological conditions, but neither is it new age hocus pocus. Motor imagery has been used by high-performance athletes since the sixties and for neurorehabilitation since the late nineties.

Next time you’re working on a particular movement – heel strike, weight shift, knee bend, stride length, arm extension, balance and so on – see it first, then do it.

Click here for some audio exercises designed for stroke rehabilitation.

Spoiler alert: This does not mean you can sit around in the gym pretending to be visualising.