What is compensation in motor recovery?

• A. The appearance of new motor patterns through adaptation
• B. Immediate full recovery of pre-injury skills
• C. Worsening motor function
• D. Loss of motor function without recovery

Answer: (B)

Compensation in motor recovery means adopting new motor strategies through adaptation to accomplish tasks after injury. When the usual movement pattern is impaired, the nervous system learns alternative ways to achieve the same goal—using different muscles, joints, or movement sequences, or relying on trunk or proximal segments to help. This lets a person regain functional ability even though the exact pre-injury movement pattern isn’t fully restored. Immediate full recovery of pre-injury skills would indicate true restoration rather than compensation, while worsening or loss of function reflects decline, not adaptive compensation.