The vestibular system contains some of the fastest reflexes in the body. The fastest vestibular response is nearly 5x faster than the fastest visual response.
The vestibular system works closely with the somatosensory and visual systems for sensorimotor control.
Sensorimotor Control = Ownership of Movement and Position
Musculoskeletal injury prevention is therefore highly dependent on vestibular function.
When moving on unpredictable terrain with your eyes up to scan for and engage targets, your somatosensory system is working to sense and stabilize your foot and ankle position.
But your vestibular system is sensing where your head and trunk are positioned relative to gravity.
If you suddenly roll your ankle to the left, the muscles around your ankle can’t counter the force of the rest of your body falling to that side over its poor positioning.
That’s the role of the vestibulo-spinal reflex.
A highly functioning vestibular system can not only help prevent an ankle sprain but allow for your visual and cognitive attention to remain on target.
Musculoskeletal injury prevention is a priority throughout tactical fields, with growing investments in embedded injury prevention professionals.
With these investments have come online debates, educational articles, and podcasts focused on best practices.
Absent from these conversations are the inclusion of sensorimotor contributions to injury prevention, especially the role of training vestibular capabilities to a high level.
This is a concerning omission, particularly since tactical professionals need to move with speed and precision in novel sensory environments and, I would argue, have the greatest sensorimotor demands of any professional or athlete.
The vulnerability of vestibular capabilities and sensorimotor function with subconcussive injuries, particularly low-level blasts, emphasizes the importance of including vestibular training in injury prevention practices for tactical professionals.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense visual information does not imply or constitute DOD endorsement.