MUSCLE BALANCE
Overview
This section emphasizes the wide-ranging involvement that AMS can have upon the body. What originally begins as a local restriction of muscle function is allowed to escalate (through lack of stretching) into a multiple-joint pain syndrome, resulting as the body attempts to restore
its’ center of gravity in compensation for limited motion at a distance joint.
Analysis of the “Hunch-Back” (Kyphotic) Posture
Recall the building blocks you played with as a child. Try as you may to fight the forces of gravity, you quickly discovered that you could only build off-center for a short expanse before the tower of blocks went tumbling down. Similarly, all human bodies may be analyzed by seeing them as aggregates of individual blocks. Due to muscle weakness and/or shortening, the bony segments (blocks) may be shifted out of ideal postural alignment, involving anterior/posterior, and lateral as well as rotational instabilities. Faulty posture places an immense drain on the body, both from an energy standpoint (since the center of gravity is disrupted) but also on a more local level, at the joint surfaces (as soon as posture shifts away from the ideal alignment, joints become maligned and joint surfaces begin to undergo excessive amounts of compression and premature erosion (accelerated arthritic deterioration). In time, cardio-pulmonary function deteriorates at an accelerated rate due to the decreased physical activity level as a result of muscle and joint pain (this is at a systemic level) but in advanced cases there can be sufficient distortion of the rib cage to limit cardio-pulmonary function (local level).
The “hunch-back” posture is commonly seen among the elderly. While osteoporosis can certainly magnify postural faults, the primary cause of “hunch-back” is muscle imbalance. Inevitably, the upper back muscles are found to be weak, the chest muscles are stronger and in a shortened position, pulling the head and shoulder girdles forward, with a tendency to compress nerves in the neck. We can expect to find shortening of the hip flexor muscles (muscles on the front of the hip that bring the thigh forward) because these individuals usually tend to spend a great deal of time sitting. While many seniors take immediate rebuttal to the latter statement, advising that they are “quite active,” the reality is that while they are running about for several minutes at a time, they are actually sitting for several hours each day: driving to see a friend, or dining at a restaurant. To make matters worse, many seniors sleep in recliners and this promotes further AMS of the abdominal and hip flexor musculature.
Since postural faults are additive over time, at some point sufficient muscle shortening occurs to create functional restriction(s). This is analogous to a civil war era cemetery. The more recent tombstones from the 1950s are upright, those from the 1920s are beginning to lean, and the ones from the 1870s have assumed an acute angle, all due to the force of gravity, once they were dislodged slightly from their original true vertical alignment. Achieving correct vertical alignment must be our goal if we are to become maximally effective during the course of our physical activities. There is a huge amount of strain placed upon a back during prolonged standing (attending church services without holding unto the pew in front of you; standing to paint a room; waiting in line). As postural faults and muscle and joint pain syndromes accumulate over time, even a small deviation can produce pain symptoms when a faulty posture is maintained for any significant amount of time. When you have shortened muscles, one wrong move can literally be “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Myofascial dysfunction is related to long-standing muscle imbalances of strength and flexibility The intricate Myofascial system provides stability to the body and acts to conserve energy (when posture is ideally aligned). Fascia is made of dense, non-contractile connective tissue that separates and supports the muscle groups and internal organs. When poor postural habits exist over a period of time, first muscle imbalances of strength and flexibility occur, then semi-permanent changes occur in the fascial system, which due to its resilience tends to trap the subject in the faulty posture until corrective exercises are instituted. Muscle balance applies to athletes in particular. I have often observed weight-lifters develop muscle imbalances because they neglected to perform an equal number of similarly intense sets for opposing muscle groups, or because they had muscle imbalances before going to the gym, then magnified these imbalances by performing heavier work with muscles that were already shortened. For example, many individuals have imbalances before going to the gym, and then magnify these imbalances by performing heavier work with muscles that were already shortened. For example, there is an innate tendency for many individuals to over-develop the pectoral (chest) or quadriceps (frontal thigh) musculature, because this musculature is naturally larger than its antagonists, and many can relate to having a desire to wanting a bigger chest and more muscular thighs. But such focused training (excessively emphasizing the bench press or use of push-ups without strengthening the shoulder blade/upper back musculature) will tend to create muscle imbalances resulting in “hunch-back,” with weakening of the upper back, and a tendency to hyper-extend the knee joint during running and kicking activities, placing extraneous forces upon the knee and upper back ligaments, because the abdominals and hamstrings and scapular musculature remain relatively weak.
Ideally, fascia saves energy by passively supporting the body. Unfortunately, when stereotypical movements are performed either occupationally or recreationally, muscle shortening of the involved muscle groups will tend to produce muscle imbalance. Left uncorrected, there will be semi-permanent changes within the fascial supporting elements, and this will tend to propagate the faulty postural alignment. Corrective exercises will in time redistribute the fascia which will once again adequately perform its’ role in providing the proper amount of passive support to the body.
This section emphasizes the wide-ranging involvement that AMS can have upon the body. What originally begins as a local restriction of muscle function is allowed to escalate (through lack of stretching) into a multiple-joint pain syndrome, resulting as the body attempts to restore
its’ center of gravity in compensation for limited motion at a distance joint.
Analysis of the “Hunch-Back” (Kyphotic) Posture
Recall the building blocks you played with as a child. Try as you may to fight the forces of gravity, you quickly discovered that you could only build off-center for a short expanse before the tower of blocks went tumbling down. Similarly, all human bodies may be analyzed by seeing them as aggregates of individual blocks. Due to muscle weakness and/or shortening, the bony segments (blocks) may be shifted out of ideal postural alignment, involving anterior/posterior, and lateral as well as rotational instabilities. Faulty posture places an immense drain on the body, both from an energy standpoint (since the center of gravity is disrupted) but also on a more local level, at the joint surfaces (as soon as posture shifts away from the ideal alignment, joints become maligned and joint surfaces begin to undergo excessive amounts of compression and premature erosion (accelerated arthritic deterioration). In time, cardio-pulmonary function deteriorates at an accelerated rate due to the decreased physical activity level as a result of muscle and joint pain (this is at a systemic level) but in advanced cases there can be sufficient distortion of the rib cage to limit cardio-pulmonary function (local level).
The “hunch-back” posture is commonly seen among the elderly. While osteoporosis can certainly magnify postural faults, the primary cause of “hunch-back” is muscle imbalance. Inevitably, the upper back muscles are found to be weak, the chest muscles are stronger and in a shortened position, pulling the head and shoulder girdles forward, with a tendency to compress nerves in the neck. We can expect to find shortening of the hip flexor muscles (muscles on the front of the hip that bring the thigh forward) because these individuals usually tend to spend a great deal of time sitting. While many seniors take immediate rebuttal to the latter statement, advising that they are “quite active,” the reality is that while they are running about for several minutes at a time, they are actually sitting for several hours each day: driving to see a friend, or dining at a restaurant. To make matters worse, many seniors sleep in recliners and this promotes further AMS of the abdominal and hip flexor musculature.
Since postural faults are additive over time, at some point sufficient muscle shortening occurs to create functional restriction(s). This is analogous to a civil war era cemetery. The more recent tombstones from the 1950s are upright, those from the 1920s are beginning to lean, and the ones from the 1870s have assumed an acute angle, all due to the force of gravity, once they were dislodged slightly from their original true vertical alignment. Achieving correct vertical alignment must be our goal if we are to become maximally effective during the course of our physical activities. There is a huge amount of strain placed upon a back during prolonged standing (attending church services without holding unto the pew in front of you; standing to paint a room; waiting in line). As postural faults and muscle and joint pain syndromes accumulate over time, even a small deviation can produce pain symptoms when a faulty posture is maintained for any significant amount of time. When you have shortened muscles, one wrong move can literally be “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
Myofascial dysfunction is related to long-standing muscle imbalances of strength and flexibility The intricate Myofascial system provides stability to the body and acts to conserve energy (when posture is ideally aligned). Fascia is made of dense, non-contractile connective tissue that separates and supports the muscle groups and internal organs. When poor postural habits exist over a period of time, first muscle imbalances of strength and flexibility occur, then semi-permanent changes occur in the fascial system, which due to its resilience tends to trap the subject in the faulty posture until corrective exercises are instituted. Muscle balance applies to athletes in particular. I have often observed weight-lifters develop muscle imbalances because they neglected to perform an equal number of similarly intense sets for opposing muscle groups, or because they had muscle imbalances before going to the gym, then magnified these imbalances by performing heavier work with muscles that were already shortened. For example, many individuals have imbalances before going to the gym, and then magnify these imbalances by performing heavier work with muscles that were already shortened. For example, there is an innate tendency for many individuals to over-develop the pectoral (chest) or quadriceps (frontal thigh) musculature, because this musculature is naturally larger than its antagonists, and many can relate to having a desire to wanting a bigger chest and more muscular thighs. But such focused training (excessively emphasizing the bench press or use of push-ups without strengthening the shoulder blade/upper back musculature) will tend to create muscle imbalances resulting in “hunch-back,” with weakening of the upper back, and a tendency to hyper-extend the knee joint during running and kicking activities, placing extraneous forces upon the knee and upper back ligaments, because the abdominals and hamstrings and scapular musculature remain relatively weak.
Ideally, fascia saves energy by passively supporting the body. Unfortunately, when stereotypical movements are performed either occupationally or recreationally, muscle shortening of the involved muscle groups will tend to produce muscle imbalance. Left uncorrected, there will be semi-permanent changes within the fascial supporting elements, and this will tend to propagate the faulty postural alignment. Corrective exercises will in time redistribute the fascia which will once again adequately perform its’ role in providing the proper amount of passive support to the body.
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If I am with a client, you will need to leave a Voicemail message (which will be immediately transcribed into text for my review).
Direct Text Messaging is another option. I am prompt in responding to inquiries.)