Terminology
VO2 - Volume of oxygen to be consumed in one minute
Heart Rate - Linear relationship with exercise
Maximum Heart Rate - This is the maximum amount of times our heart should beat per minute before becoming hazardous to the individual.
220 - Age = MHR
0.7 x Age = MHR
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) - Number of beats per minute when at rest
60 - 100 bpm (Average)
28 - 40 bpm (Elite)
100+ bpm (Unhealthy)
Resting heart rate can be effected by a number of things. Firstly the altitude an individual is at can alter an individuals RHR. In addition the environment and setting an individual is in can also interfere with measuring RHR. We understand that anxiety can too interfere with measuring RHR.
Before we begin to exercise there is an initial anticipatory response to exercise in which our muscles get prepared to work. A initial flush of oxygen carried by the blood in our body prepares our muscle to engage with exercise.
Maximum Heart Rate tends to be very stable but decreases by 1 bpm every year as we get older.
Sub maximal heart rate is intense physical activity that regularly increases at intervals but never exceeds 85% of an individuals MHR.
We also have a steady state heart rate which is when HR goes up until it meets a steady state of supply of oxygen and then levels off. In contrast to MHR which is never a steady state. However it is important we understand that we can train our steady state and that this can vary between individuals.
What does this mean?
Well two individuals working at the same intensity may have two completely different HR bpm and therefore one individual may reach their steady state before the other. Steady state is a good predictor for how efficient a heart is working. The more intense an exercise the longer it takes to reach a steady state.
Heart rate recovery
- Initially there is a rapid decline after exercise and then this becomes a slower decline.
- This doesn't instantly return to resting level.
- If you train HR it will return to resting level quicker than it does before training it.
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Friday, 20 February 2015
The Nervous System Broken Down
Are you ready to understand the centre of our being; what makes us function; the centre of our movement and being!?
Well here it is!
A neuron is a highly specialised cell that transmits signals to other neurons, muscles and glands.
We have three types of neurons.
Neuron Types
- Bipolar: Interneurons
- Unipolar: Sensory neurons
- Multipolar: Motor neurons
Sensory neurons: These are receptors that transmit neurons to the central nervous system (CNS).
Motor neurons: These send out going signals.
Inter neurons: These receive signals from sensory neurons and send messages to other inter neurons and motor neurons.
Got that?
Well it's about to get a little more confusing...
I'm sure you have heard of our central nervous system...
Well this system regulates our body functions and is the command post of our body. It senses, processes, and stores information and in effect chemistry of the brain changes when learning something new.
We also have a spinal cord and this occupies the vertebral canal. The spinal cord contains neural circuits which control different reflexive functions.
The brainstem is located at the top of the spinal column and travels up into the cranial cavity.
We have three parts, these are the medulla, pons and midbrain. These contain a number of neural centres critical to behaviour and mood. It controls functions necessary for sustaining life such as our blood pressure (BP) and respiration.
I hope you are keeping up...
We also have a peripheral nervous system (PNS)...
These nervous system extends from the spinal cord carrying messages to and from various muscles, glands and sense organs located through the body. These are all the neurons outside of the (CNS). We have two more nervous systems that branch off our (PNS), these are the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
The somatic nervous system regulates movement of the body's skeletal muscles. This nervous system contains two types of fibres:
- Afferent signals
- Efferent signals (motor neurons)
Afferent signals send information about the internal organs, muscles, body position and peripheral sensations.
Efferent signals form the motor portion of spinal nerves.
These two types of fibres are a network of nerves.
The autonomic nervous system controls muscles we have no control over and regulates our breathing, heart rate (HR), (BP), some glands, and our heart. There are three branches to this nervous system. We have our sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric divisions.
The sympathetic division controls arousal and activities that require energy expenditure that prepares the body for action. It also alerts the brain for 'fight or flight' situations. It does this by increasing (BP), (HR), blood sugar levels and adrenaline. It converts stored energy into useable energy by increasing the flow of blood to areas that will need it.
The parasympathetic division calms the body's state, conserves energy and eliminates waste products. It also slows the (HR) and stimulation of digestion.
HOPE THIS HELPS!
Well here it is!
A neuron is a highly specialised cell that transmits signals to other neurons, muscles and glands.
We have three types of neurons.
Neuron Types
- Bipolar: Interneurons
- Unipolar: Sensory neurons
- Multipolar: Motor neurons
Sensory neurons: These are receptors that transmit neurons to the central nervous system (CNS).
Motor neurons: These send out going signals.
Inter neurons: These receive signals from sensory neurons and send messages to other inter neurons and motor neurons.
Got that?
Well it's about to get a little more confusing...
I'm sure you have heard of our central nervous system...
Well this system regulates our body functions and is the command post of our body. It senses, processes, and stores information and in effect chemistry of the brain changes when learning something new.
We also have a spinal cord and this occupies the vertebral canal. The spinal cord contains neural circuits which control different reflexive functions.
The brainstem is located at the top of the spinal column and travels up into the cranial cavity.
We have three parts, these are the medulla, pons and midbrain. These contain a number of neural centres critical to behaviour and mood. It controls functions necessary for sustaining life such as our blood pressure (BP) and respiration.
I hope you are keeping up...
We also have a peripheral nervous system (PNS)...
These nervous system extends from the spinal cord carrying messages to and from various muscles, glands and sense organs located through the body. These are all the neurons outside of the (CNS). We have two more nervous systems that branch off our (PNS), these are the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
The somatic nervous system regulates movement of the body's skeletal muscles. This nervous system contains two types of fibres:
- Afferent signals
- Efferent signals (motor neurons)
Afferent signals send information about the internal organs, muscles, body position and peripheral sensations.
Efferent signals form the motor portion of spinal nerves.
These two types of fibres are a network of nerves.
The autonomic nervous system controls muscles we have no control over and regulates our breathing, heart rate (HR), (BP), some glands, and our heart. There are three branches to this nervous system. We have our sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric divisions.
The sympathetic division controls arousal and activities that require energy expenditure that prepares the body for action. It also alerts the brain for 'fight or flight' situations. It does this by increasing (BP), (HR), blood sugar levels and adrenaline. It converts stored energy into useable energy by increasing the flow of blood to areas that will need it.
The parasympathetic division calms the body's state, conserves energy and eliminates waste products. It also slows the (HR) and stimulation of digestion.
HOPE THIS HELPS!
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Understanding The Brain
WARNING!!!
THIS IS ABOUT TO GET EXTREMELY COMPLEX!
The brain weighs three and a half pounds and has over ten billion cells. Pretty crazy right!
We have three layers to our brain, these are:
The Central Core: Structures deep within our brain and is involved in the processes of breathing, digestion and heart rate.
The Limbic System: This is located within the central core and plays a role in the emotional & sexual behaviour.
AND
The Cerebral Cortex: This is the outer layer of the brain which allows us to plan, reason and make decisions.
Within the central core are five structures:
THE MEDULLA
This is located just above the spinal cord and is responsible for our reflexes, heart rate, respiration and digestion. It is considered to be the cross over point allowing the transition from the spinal cord to the brain stem.
This is why the left side controls the right side!
THE PONS
This is situated just above the Medulla and acts like a bridge for nerve fibres to connect to the cerebellum. This controls our motor control and sensory analysis nuclei found in the pons which wrap around the base of the cerebellum. Our Medulla and Pons contain our reticular activating system (RAS). This is a network of neurons involved in arousal, attention and regulated sleep.
THALAMUS
This is found deep within the brain. It is our relay station and what I mean by that is it receives sensory information from our nervous system and is responsible for transmitting information to other parts of the brain. All our sensory information apart from smell passes through here before entering our cerebral cortex.
CEREBELLUM
This large structure is known as our 'little brain'. It is situated behind the Medulla and Pons and damage to this structure can have a significant affect on our motor responses, balance and coordination. It integrates sensory information with information about muscle movement.
The Limbic System
The consists of three structures; our amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus. The limbic system allows our body to keep a thermostat, scientifically known as homeostasis. It also regulates our blood sugar level, body temperature and blood pressure.
AMYGDALA
This is located deep within our temporal lobe and controls our rage. This structure receives important sensory information such as smell, sight and sound.
HIPPOCAMPUS
This is the largest structure in the limbic system and helps with our memory skills, specifically our long term memory.
HYPOTHALAMUS
This is located below the thalamus and is approximately the size of a pea. It is the most IMPORTANT part of the limbic system. It regulates our hormonal system by controlling the pituitary gland which is attached to the base of the hypothalamus.
The Cerebral Cortex
This is one eight of an inch thick and contains billions of neurons. This is responsible for the opposite sides of the body. The hemispheres are connected by a band of nerves called the corpus collosum. This transfers the information from one side of the brain to the other. Our cerebral hemispheres occupy our general sensory input, visual input, and interpretation
FISSURES
We have three fissures that help divide the brain into four regions.
- Longitudinal - separates the two hemispheres.
- Central - runs along the top of the brain and separates into front and back.
- Lateral - runs along the side of the brain and divides the hemispheres into top and bottom.
REGIONS OF THE BRAIN
Frontal Lobe - located at the front of the brain directly in front of the central fissure (our emotions, personality & problem solving skills operate here).
Parietal Lobe - located behind the central fissure & above the lateral fissure at the top of the brain (controls our sensory information).
Temporal Lobe - side of each hemisphere below below lateral fissure (controls our speech).
Occipital Lobe - located at the back of the brain (controls our vision).
FISSURES
We have three fissures that help divide the brain into four regions.
- Longitudinal - separates the two hemispheres.
- Central - runs along the top of the brain and separates into front and back.
- Lateral - runs along the side of the brain and divides the hemispheres into top and bottom.
REGIONS OF THE BRAIN
Frontal Lobe - located at the front of the brain directly in front of the central fissure (our emotions, personality & problem solving skills operate here).
Parietal Lobe - located behind the central fissure & above the lateral fissure at the top of the brain (controls our sensory information).
Temporal Lobe - side of each hemisphere below below lateral fissure (controls our speech).
Occipital Lobe - located at the back of the brain (controls our vision).
Monday, 8 December 2014
Movement Analysis & Biomechanical Considerations
Well you are probably wondering where I have been?! Well to let those of you know who may not already know, a good friend of mine has been kind enough to build me a website. This is a completely new type of project for me and I am enjoying the templates we have produced so far. Also with my fast approaching semester one exams on their way I have been in a series of revision and university.
But even more interestingly, just yesterday I was on a course called 'Street Soccer UK' which focused on delivering the most effective conditions for learning to take place in your sessions. Of course there was lots of street skills involved but more importantly, the session wasn't about making the coach look good. It wasn't about looking professional with badges all over your tracksuit, nor was it about hiding behind your clipboard and over analysing everything (as we tend to do as coaches).
But even more interesting than that, there was a point in the session that challenged the FUNdamental movements of physical literacy. In fact they had a good reason to. They touched briefly on the reptilian brain located in the frontal lobe and how when under pressure or feeling threatened it shuts off from everything around it. Therefore this defeats all forms of learning and as for FUNdamental movements, they simply won't be learned. The skills and movements in street soccer are all creative and forever new evolving movement patterns that challenge the FUNdamental movement programme. So as I talk about this piece I think it's important we don't forget to challenge the science behind movement but also what works best with our athletes.
However excluding all that when we talk about the best biomechanical movement pattern in sport we are talking about the most powerful, precise, attention to detail body dynamics. Biomechanics will always be a very complex movement no matter what field it's in, from walking to a golf swing; or a boxing punch to a rugby kick. But all these movements operate on an axis and a plane.
We have three axis and three planes...
An axis is an infinite long line that joints move around. A joint moves in a 2D manner and a plane is an infinite 2D extremity. Now we know what they mean I can tell you what they are called. Firstly we have an anterioposterior axis which operates on the sagital plane and allows movement such as flexion. Then we have a mediolateral axis that operates on a frontal plane which allows for movements such as abduction. Finally we have a longitudinal axis that works on a transverse plane allowing movements such as rotation.
Therefore when working with athletes, we use these planes and axis to heighten performance as our centre of gravity is the central point of all these planes. However when we don't use these axis and planes correctly we can cause lower and upper crossed syndrome as I've spoken about in previous pieces. In addition Newtons '3 laws of motion' help avoid this from happening and teach us the basic principles to motion.
1st Law: Inertia
This law states that an object isn't going to move unless a force is applied to it and then when a force is applied it won't stop moving until unseen forces intervene.
2nd Law: Acceleration
Force = Mass x Acceleration
3rd Law: Action & Reaction Force
This law say's that for every force we apply to an unmovable object we get an equal reaction (e.g. Sprinting)
Now to bring you back to the course I was on and challenging the science. Let's take Aaron Lennon. If you don't know who Aaron Lennon is, he's an exceptionally fast soccer player who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs. Aaron Lennon is super fast! However he goes against the best kinomatics of posture (biomechanical anatomical shape). He runs with his arms flapping down between his hip and chest region, and the science says this will hinder his speed, yet he is seen as one of the fastest footballers in the professional game. Therefore it doesn't quite sit right with me to coach a very fast player out of this body movement pattern to increase speed when his body movement pattern allows him to generate speed already.
The other point is that invasion game sports especially are very different to your typical linear and lateral movements as at any moment you may need to change direction, which is a key attribute of Aaron's game. Therefore to teach him this biomechanical functional way of moving may not be the best approach. Perhaps a better approach is to incorporate Newton's laws of motion but use the demands of the game to influence his biomechanical movements and still maintain strong kinomatics of posture. For example; maintaining a low base and centre of gravity to generate power; with a slight anterior tilt on the pelvis with the head down but in line with the spine to send us the direction we aim to go; with slight dorsiflexion and corresponding arm to leg motion; with our arms flapping by our side to use as a shield against invasion from the opposition.
The Street Soccer UK course has enlightened me to challenge the science and try not to just develop a scientific methodological approach. But instead, to create the conditions and best environment for people to learn in. At times it may be useful and vital that we use the science. Whereas at other times it may be pointless and worth scrapping it if it doesn't work best, as ultimately we all fundamentally move and operate differently.
Anyone who hasn't been on the course and is involved in coaching or a sports field I strongly recommend this course massively as it has much more to offer than just what I related back to you, as this is just what I took from the course as it relates to the learning environment I am in.
But even more interestingly, just yesterday I was on a course called 'Street Soccer UK' which focused on delivering the most effective conditions for learning to take place in your sessions. Of course there was lots of street skills involved but more importantly, the session wasn't about making the coach look good. It wasn't about looking professional with badges all over your tracksuit, nor was it about hiding behind your clipboard and over analysing everything (as we tend to do as coaches).
But even more interesting than that, there was a point in the session that challenged the FUNdamental movements of physical literacy. In fact they had a good reason to. They touched briefly on the reptilian brain located in the frontal lobe and how when under pressure or feeling threatened it shuts off from everything around it. Therefore this defeats all forms of learning and as for FUNdamental movements, they simply won't be learned. The skills and movements in street soccer are all creative and forever new evolving movement patterns that challenge the FUNdamental movement programme. So as I talk about this piece I think it's important we don't forget to challenge the science behind movement but also what works best with our athletes.
However excluding all that when we talk about the best biomechanical movement pattern in sport we are talking about the most powerful, precise, attention to detail body dynamics. Biomechanics will always be a very complex movement no matter what field it's in, from walking to a golf swing; or a boxing punch to a rugby kick. But all these movements operate on an axis and a plane.
We have three axis and three planes...
An axis is an infinite long line that joints move around. A joint moves in a 2D manner and a plane is an infinite 2D extremity. Now we know what they mean I can tell you what they are called. Firstly we have an anterioposterior axis which operates on the sagital plane and allows movement such as flexion. Then we have a mediolateral axis that operates on a frontal plane which allows for movements such as abduction. Finally we have a longitudinal axis that works on a transverse plane allowing movements such as rotation.
Therefore when working with athletes, we use these planes and axis to heighten performance as our centre of gravity is the central point of all these planes. However when we don't use these axis and planes correctly we can cause lower and upper crossed syndrome as I've spoken about in previous pieces. In addition Newtons '3 laws of motion' help avoid this from happening and teach us the basic principles to motion.
 |
| superiorathleticsnewyork.com |
1st Law: Inertia
This law states that an object isn't going to move unless a force is applied to it and then when a force is applied it won't stop moving until unseen forces intervene.
2nd Law: Acceleration
Force = Mass x Acceleration
3rd Law: Action & Reaction Force
This law say's that for every force we apply to an unmovable object we get an equal reaction (e.g. Sprinting)
Now to bring you back to the course I was on and challenging the science. Let's take Aaron Lennon. If you don't know who Aaron Lennon is, he's an exceptionally fast soccer player who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs. Aaron Lennon is super fast! However he goes against the best kinomatics of posture (biomechanical anatomical shape). He runs with his arms flapping down between his hip and chest region, and the science says this will hinder his speed, yet he is seen as one of the fastest footballers in the professional game. Therefore it doesn't quite sit right with me to coach a very fast player out of this body movement pattern to increase speed when his body movement pattern allows him to generate speed already.
 |
| www.dailymail.co.uk |
The Street Soccer UK course has enlightened me to challenge the science and try not to just develop a scientific methodological approach. But instead, to create the conditions and best environment for people to learn in. At times it may be useful and vital that we use the science. Whereas at other times it may be pointless and worth scrapping it if it doesn't work best, as ultimately we all fundamentally move and operate differently.
Anyone who hasn't been on the course and is involved in coaching or a sports field I strongly recommend this course massively as it has much more to offer than just what I related back to you, as this is just what I took from the course as it relates to the learning environment I am in.
Sunday, 16 November 2014
Glossary
Anatomical Terminology
Superior - Higher
Inferior - Lower
Proximal - Closer to the body
Distal - Further away from the body
Supra - Above
Infra - Below
Anterior - In front
Posterior - Behind
Medial - Close to the midline
Lateral - Away from the midline
Hypertonic - Short over-active muscle
Hypotonic - Long weak muscle
Flexion - Decrease in an angle at a joint
Extension - Increase in an angle at a joint
Adduction - Movement towards the body
Abduction - Movement away from the body
Plantar Flexion - Ankle extension
Dorsi Flexion - Ankle flexion
Medial rotation - Rotation inwards
Lateral rotation - Rotation outwards
Supination - Lateral rotation of arm
Pronation - Medial rotation of arm
Protraction - Prolonging a body part
Retraction - Drawing back a body part
Superior - Higher
Inferior - Lower
Proximal - Closer to the body
Distal - Further away from the body
Supra - Above
Infra - Below
Anterior - In front
Posterior - Behind
Medial - Close to the midline
Lateral - Away from the midline
Hypertonic - Short over-active muscle
Hypotonic - Long weak muscle
Flexion - Decrease in an angle at a joint
Extension - Increase in an angle at a joint
Adduction - Movement towards the body
Abduction - Movement away from the body
Plantar Flexion - Ankle extension
Dorsi Flexion - Ankle flexion
Medial rotation - Rotation inwards
Lateral rotation - Rotation outwards
Supination - Lateral rotation of arm
Pronation - Medial rotation of arm
Protraction - Prolonging a body part
Retraction - Drawing back a body part
Thursday, 13 November 2014
Maintaining Anatomical Structural Integrity
By now you are probably familiar with the phrase structural integrity as it's a phrase I use a lot and some of you probably aren't familiar with the phrase nor understand what I mean when I use it, so let me explain it in more depth.
We have learned that there are many joints in the body and by now you should understand the structure, functions and importance of these joints. However let me touch more on the importance of maintaining the structural integrity of these joints. What do I mean by structural integrity? Well our body is a complex and intricate structure as you know by now... Therefore when I mention structural integrity I am referring our anatomical shape. During the evolution of the human race our anatomy evolved to adapt to its environment. Therefore this meant obtaining an upright spine enabling us to walk upright on two legs. It also meant obtaining the use of our thumbs to use tools, etc... Therefore we have essentially self designed our anatomical shape through evolving to meet the means of our environment. That's structural integrity! The hard job is maintaining it.
Over time, as we get older and grow, our body shapes can change based on our environment or the tasks we undergo on a daily basis, therefore this can prohibit maintaining structural integrity. In many ways structural integrity is our posture. We are designed to have curves in our spine, a forward facing head, balanced weight on either side of our hips, forward facing toes, etc... We are also designed to have a wide range of motion around these joints. Take into consideration a new born baby, the purest form of nature in the human race. A new born baby is born with more cartilage than bones, roughly 300-350 parts of cartilage. By the time they have finished adolescence and are in their mid twenties they have 206 bones that have fused together via cartilage. This allows the baby to be very flexible as they have no rigid structures preventing this... However I invite you to imagine this scenario. By the age of ten, that once new born baby has developed a restriction of motion when bending down to touch their toes, however when that ten year old was five he made it look easy! Well the reason he could touch his toes at five and not ten is because his refined and under developed muscles have created muscular imbalances that have prevented this action occurring. Well at such a young age, increasing range of movement at a joint isn't too difficult. However, how many of you can touch your toes?
This blog isn't to have a go at you, and I say touch your toes because its a basic movement to show flexibility. However for those of you who can't whats happened is you have most likely developed lower cross syndrome. Sounds scary right? Well it's not and in fact with a little more care and therapy on your anatomy it can be cured. Lower cross syndrome is when you have hypertonic (short and over active) muscles and the opposite muscles being either your antagonist or agonist muscles have switched off making them hypotonic (long and weak). However this is where it can have a detrimental effect on our anatomy pulling our anatomy out of alignment. For example it may be having hypertonic hip flexors and hypotonic glutes pulling our pelvis forward, creating an anterior pelvic tilt. You could also have tight pectorals and traps and weak neck flexors and rhomboids creating a hyper kyphotic curve within the thoracic spine. Essentially the muscle that is hypertonic means that the opposite muscle slowly becomes hypotonic and therefore our hypertonic muscles pull the body out of alignment.
I touch upon this issue as its more often than not overlooked and in fact if we give our anatomy therapy it will help us maintain structural integrity, and maintain full range of motion around our joints like most of us could when we were younger thus ironing out these muscular imbalances. How, you might be asking? Well I touched on it briefly in a previous blog, and its quite simple. Things such as massage therapy are great as it irons out all those muscular imbalances. Also yoga is a great healer of the body and allows for a greater range of motion around our joints. Or something as simple as stretching and not sitting down in one place for too long is an easy and effective activity to do. I'd also invite you to do this. Be conscious of your anatomical shape as often as possible and if it needs altering then make those changes instantly. This will allow you to develop good habits and iron out bad habits through good practice. A key area to stretch is your hip flexors as most of us sit down at some part of the day, some of us may work in offices and therefore we are sitting down most of the day. This will create tension in your gluteal muscles when stretching preventing them from becoming hypotonic and restrict tension in your hip flexors preventing them from becoming hypertonic.
MAINTAIN STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY!
We have learned that there are many joints in the body and by now you should understand the structure, functions and importance of these joints. However let me touch more on the importance of maintaining the structural integrity of these joints. What do I mean by structural integrity? Well our body is a complex and intricate structure as you know by now... Therefore when I mention structural integrity I am referring our anatomical shape. During the evolution of the human race our anatomy evolved to adapt to its environment. Therefore this meant obtaining an upright spine enabling us to walk upright on two legs. It also meant obtaining the use of our thumbs to use tools, etc... Therefore we have essentially self designed our anatomical shape through evolving to meet the means of our environment. That's structural integrity! The hard job is maintaining it.
Over time, as we get older and grow, our body shapes can change based on our environment or the tasks we undergo on a daily basis, therefore this can prohibit maintaining structural integrity. In many ways structural integrity is our posture. We are designed to have curves in our spine, a forward facing head, balanced weight on either side of our hips, forward facing toes, etc... We are also designed to have a wide range of motion around these joints. Take into consideration a new born baby, the purest form of nature in the human race. A new born baby is born with more cartilage than bones, roughly 300-350 parts of cartilage. By the time they have finished adolescence and are in their mid twenties they have 206 bones that have fused together via cartilage. This allows the baby to be very flexible as they have no rigid structures preventing this... However I invite you to imagine this scenario. By the age of ten, that once new born baby has developed a restriction of motion when bending down to touch their toes, however when that ten year old was five he made it look easy! Well the reason he could touch his toes at five and not ten is because his refined and under developed muscles have created muscular imbalances that have prevented this action occurring. Well at such a young age, increasing range of movement at a joint isn't too difficult. However, how many of you can touch your toes?
This blog isn't to have a go at you, and I say touch your toes because its a basic movement to show flexibility. However for those of you who can't whats happened is you have most likely developed lower cross syndrome. Sounds scary right? Well it's not and in fact with a little more care and therapy on your anatomy it can be cured. Lower cross syndrome is when you have hypertonic (short and over active) muscles and the opposite muscles being either your antagonist or agonist muscles have switched off making them hypotonic (long and weak). However this is where it can have a detrimental effect on our anatomy pulling our anatomy out of alignment. For example it may be having hypertonic hip flexors and hypotonic glutes pulling our pelvis forward, creating an anterior pelvic tilt. You could also have tight pectorals and traps and weak neck flexors and rhomboids creating a hyper kyphotic curve within the thoracic spine. Essentially the muscle that is hypertonic means that the opposite muscle slowly becomes hypotonic and therefore our hypertonic muscles pull the body out of alignment.
I touch upon this issue as its more often than not overlooked and in fact if we give our anatomy therapy it will help us maintain structural integrity, and maintain full range of motion around our joints like most of us could when we were younger thus ironing out these muscular imbalances. How, you might be asking? Well I touched on it briefly in a previous blog, and its quite simple. Things such as massage therapy are great as it irons out all those muscular imbalances. Also yoga is a great healer of the body and allows for a greater range of motion around our joints. Or something as simple as stretching and not sitting down in one place for too long is an easy and effective activity to do. I'd also invite you to do this. Be conscious of your anatomical shape as often as possible and if it needs altering then make those changes instantly. This will allow you to develop good habits and iron out bad habits through good practice. A key area to stretch is your hip flexors as most of us sit down at some part of the day, some of us may work in offices and therefore we are sitting down most of the day. This will create tension in your gluteal muscles when stretching preventing them from becoming hypotonic and restrict tension in your hip flexors preventing them from becoming hypertonic.
MAINTAIN STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY!
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
The Anatomy of the Elbow, Wrist and Hand
I thought I'd cover these three joints in one piece as they are already similar to the ones we have covered in previous entries, so by now you should be familiar with the type of joints we have.
Lets begin with the elbow joint...
The elbow is made up of three bones. We have the humerus (upper arm), ulna and radius (bones of lower arm). The articulation between the distal end of the humerus and the proximal end of the ulna means like the knee it is a synovial hinge joint and aids movements such as flexion and extension. However unlike the knee it doesn't aid movements such as medial and lateral rotation as those movements occur at the shoulder joint. Now like all bones it is possible to dislocate the elbow joint and what happens is the humerus shunts forwards and sits on the superior anterior surface of the ulna. Not pretty right...
Well let me run a few bony prominences past you to help you understand the structure further. The elbow bone is anatomically referred to as the olecranon. Along with the olecranon we have a medial and lateral epicondyle which are the bony surfaces of the elbow found on either side of the elbow joint. I presume the term 'funny bone' rings a bell with you. In case you're confused, it's that really annoying tingling sensation you can feel sometimes when you hit the medial aspect of your elbow against something. What essentially happens is when you strike the medial epicondyle, the ulnar nerve causes this tingling sensation of the inside of your elbow. The reason it's so easy to strike your 'funny bone' is because it protrudes posterior to the humerus and makes it easier to strike in comparison to the lateral epicondyle.
The elbow also consists of numerous ligaments similar to the knee. Firstly we have internal ligaments known as our ulna collateral ligament and radial collateral ligament. These ligaments connect our ulna and radius to our humerus and maintain lateral and medial stability of the joint. We also have an external ligament called our annular ligament which wraps around the anterior aspect of the radius and attaches to the ulna, aiding stability in the joint. This allows movements such as pronation and supination to occur. These movements occur in our radioulnar joint which is a pivot joint.
Pronation is palm downward (radius crosses over ulna)
Supination is palm upward
The annular ligament aids the pronation between the joint, allowing the radius to cross over the ulna as shown in the picture (right). We then have two more joints on the posterior surface of the humerus and ulna called the humeroulnar joint and we also have a joint between the humerus and radius called the humeroradial joint. These joints prevent our elbow falling into hyper extension.
At the wrist we have two more bony prominences which can be palpated on the medial and lateral aspect. These are called our styloid processes also referred to as our ulnarstyloid and radialstyloid processes. We then have our scaphoid process which is the first carpal in our hand and can be palpated when we extend our fingers laterally to the tendon in our thumb. It's a common injury that can occur in our everyday lives, and usually as a result of falling and landing on the palm of our hands. This sort of injury can take a while to heal due to the bad blood supply to the bone and often requires surgery. The movements we get at the wrist are flexion, extension, abduction and adduction.
In the hand we have our carpals, metacarpals and phalanges. In total we have eight carpals all with different names which I won't bore you with. We then have five metacarpals and three phalanges in each finger except the thumb in which we only have two, like the foot. The opposable thumb allows us to grip, hold and pick up objects, it is a milestone in the evolution of human beings. Now the joints...
Well, between each section I just mentioned we have a joint. The first joint is our radiocarpal joint which can be palpated between the radius and carpals. We then have our carpometacarpal joint which is located between the carpals and metacarpals. The third joint we have in the hand is our metacarpophalangeal joint (a mouthful I know) which is located between the metacarpals and the phalanges. Finally we have interphalangeal joints, just like the foot. Therefore using anatomic terminology we can distinguish each one. The joints between our second and third phalanges are our distal interphalangeal joints. That means the ones between our first and second are our proximal interphalangeal joints. Now as we know our thumb only has two phalanges so the joint between these two is simply just our interphalangeal joint.
Like the foot the hand has palmer fascia which helps hold everything in place and stretches across the palms of our hands. As well as palmer fascia our fingers are made up of numerous medial and lateral collateral ligaments connecting each phalangeal bone to eachother.
The elbow, wrist and hand are very similar to the other joints I've covered in my previous blogs... In addition to the hand though I'd like to leave you with this thought. The hand very much similar to the foot is a tool we use every day of our lives. For example right now as I type this I am putting strain on the tendons and ligaments of my hand, thus having a knock on effect to the muscles that move the tendons in my hand making them tighter and causing muscular imbalances. We all put strain on the tendons, ligaments and joints of our hands every day yet we forget to aid these joints with therapy. Similarly to the foot our hands our always under tension, whether it be pulling, pushing, twisting or typing, etc... Most of us forget to do the basic movements such as stretching them. In order for our anatomical shape to maintain structural integrity it is vital that we give our bodies therapy and medicine through natural basic activities such as stretching. Whether you find your therapy through yoga, pilates, massage therapy etc... It's vital we give our bodies down time and therapy time!
Lets begin with the elbow joint...
The elbow is made up of three bones. We have the humerus (upper arm), ulna and radius (bones of lower arm). The articulation between the distal end of the humerus and the proximal end of the ulna means like the knee it is a synovial hinge joint and aids movements such as flexion and extension. However unlike the knee it doesn't aid movements such as medial and lateral rotation as those movements occur at the shoulder joint. Now like all bones it is possible to dislocate the elbow joint and what happens is the humerus shunts forwards and sits on the superior anterior surface of the ulna. Not pretty right...
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| meded.ucsd.edu |
The elbow also consists of numerous ligaments similar to the knee. Firstly we have internal ligaments known as our ulna collateral ligament and radial collateral ligament. These ligaments connect our ulna and radius to our humerus and maintain lateral and medial stability of the joint. We also have an external ligament called our annular ligament which wraps around the anterior aspect of the radius and attaches to the ulna, aiding stability in the joint. This allows movements such as pronation and supination to occur. These movements occur in our radioulnar joint which is a pivot joint.
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| anatomystudybuddy.wordpress.com |
Pronation is palm downward (radius crosses over ulna)
Supination is palm upward
The annular ligament aids the pronation between the joint, allowing the radius to cross over the ulna as shown in the picture (right). We then have two more joints on the posterior surface of the humerus and ulna called the humeroulnar joint and we also have a joint between the humerus and radius called the humeroradial joint. These joints prevent our elbow falling into hyper extension.
At the wrist we have two more bony prominences which can be palpated on the medial and lateral aspect. These are called our styloid processes also referred to as our ulnarstyloid and radialstyloid processes. We then have our scaphoid process which is the first carpal in our hand and can be palpated when we extend our fingers laterally to the tendon in our thumb. It's a common injury that can occur in our everyday lives, and usually as a result of falling and landing on the palm of our hands. This sort of injury can take a while to heal due to the bad blood supply to the bone and often requires surgery. The movements we get at the wrist are flexion, extension, abduction and adduction.
 |
| hqinfo.blogspot.com |
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| sketchymedicine.com |
Like the foot the hand has palmer fascia which helps hold everything in place and stretches across the palms of our hands. As well as palmer fascia our fingers are made up of numerous medial and lateral collateral ligaments connecting each phalangeal bone to eachother.
The elbow, wrist and hand are very similar to the other joints I've covered in my previous blogs... In addition to the hand though I'd like to leave you with this thought. The hand very much similar to the foot is a tool we use every day of our lives. For example right now as I type this I am putting strain on the tendons and ligaments of my hand, thus having a knock on effect to the muscles that move the tendons in my hand making them tighter and causing muscular imbalances. We all put strain on the tendons, ligaments and joints of our hands every day yet we forget to aid these joints with therapy. Similarly to the foot our hands our always under tension, whether it be pulling, pushing, twisting or typing, etc... Most of us forget to do the basic movements such as stretching them. In order for our anatomical shape to maintain structural integrity it is vital that we give our bodies therapy and medicine through natural basic activities such as stretching. Whether you find your therapy through yoga, pilates, massage therapy etc... It's vital we give our bodies down time and therapy time!
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