tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2815744536020662942024-03-05T15:25:14.832-08:00Human Posture 1I. Selvarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14486693377388240854noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281574453602066294.post-4430980997326218462008-12-29T00:03:00.000-08:002016-12-05T22:28:00.282-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
1. HUMAN POSTURE<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7LN4-74bYMz5BajqArkHCiCWcEP3s_FalBrg7RQL8NihcsHWRWyJzLeQee98r4tvQ3-MkVpLhnrVj5eAcvaCiiWBNgpUxElVfE2OpWe2Fws4xZYuTLyY9WeKBo4tRjOo6kCcg8OUAk-u/s1600-h/Page-1.1-Voyager.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285136985151897826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7LN4-74bYMz5BajqArkHCiCWcEP3s_FalBrg7RQL8NihcsHWRWyJzLeQee98r4tvQ3-MkVpLhnrVj5eAcvaCiiWBNgpUxElVfE2OpWe2Fws4xZYuTLyY9WeKBo4tRjOo6kCcg8OUAk-u/s320/Page-1.1-Voyager.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 257px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ff6600;">Posture as visualized<br />on the plaque on the<br />Voyager Spacecraft.<br />There are conflicting<br />ideas about<br />good posture. </span></span><br />
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<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="zh-CN"><span class=""><a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/2015/01/chinese-translatiion.html">中国</a> , <a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/2015/01/french-translation.html">F</a></span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps"><a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/2015/01/french-translation.html">rançais</a> , </span></span><a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/2015/01/german-translation.html"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps">Deutsch ,</span></span></a><br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="de"><span class="hps"><a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/">Italienisch,</a> </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ja"><span class=""><a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/2016/12/japanese-translation.html">日本語翻訳, </a></span></span><a href="http://humanposturetranslations.blogspot.in/2016/04/russian-translation.html"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ja"><span class=""><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="ru"><span class="">русский</span> <span class="">перевод</span></span></span></span></a><br />
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WELCOME<br />
A site on Posture "www.humanposture.com" has been maintained by me since 2002. This is an attempt to add more information on a continuing basis. To start with, information already contained in the website is reproduced here. Some changes, reflecting modifications of my viewpoints over the last five years, have been incorporated; these are highlighted in <span style="color: #33cc00;">green</span>. My interest in Human Posture was sparked more than 30 Years back, when I came across a book on the subject by Dr. Wilfred Barlow.<br />
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2. THE BOOK BY DR. BARLOW<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMzW49S0PifJsZYgZmB1o8sZT5AJ9eAhOzlNHAkRtViBOP9Khg03mtfJ6Ert1VrXZcrkQKBtnowSzCAC2b_VcID3qso7oQNJsAa6GXpRwmMnwoCggF1PbT68LVctGgAHBSDWAhXyDaSfp/s1600-h/Page-1.2-Dr.-Barlow.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285136287215529714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMzW49S0PifJsZYgZmB1o8sZT5AJ9eAhOzlNHAkRtViBOP9Khg03mtfJ6Ert1VrXZcrkQKBtnowSzCAC2b_VcID3qso7oQNJsAa6GXpRwmMnwoCggF1PbT68LVctGgAHBSDWAhXyDaSfp/s320/Page-1.2-Dr.-Barlow.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 193px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #ff6600;">1: Dr. Wilfred Barlow, a Rheumatologist,did extensive research on human posture and authored the Book, The Alexander Principle.His book suggests ways to correct your posture and highlights medical problems that can arise from faulty posture. The medical problems discussed in Dr. Barlow’s books are Rheumatism, Arthritis, Cervical Spondylosis, Back Pain, Breathing Disorders, Stress Disorders and Gastro-intestinal Disorders. Dr Barlow estimates that 99% of adultswill have faulty posture (more on this later).</span><span style="color: #ff6600;"></span><br />
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INTRODUCTION:<br />
Speculation on human posture forms part of our philosophical, social and cultural heritage. Human beings have pondered this subject from ancient times. In India, around 400 BC, the discipline of Yoga took shape to help invigorate the body, calm the mind, and to develop ones hidden mental and spiritual powers. Over the past hundred years, many other disciplines such as Chiropractics, Osteopathy, Rolfing and The Alexander Method of posture correction have evolved to help individuals cope with their posture. You can find out more on these subjects in the Internet.<br />
In this presentation we look at human posture from a different perspective, the perspective of an Engineer, deviating from traditional more intuitive methods used to understand the problem. The bones and muscles in the body form a Mechanism, controlled by the Human Brain. This composite system can be explored using Engineering Principles to facilitate better scientific understanding of the problem.<br />
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4. THE HUMAN MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpi6d5FZb2_gOTazu4Dp8ntYBcQf7EeB_n35b2J196x5Fn7PdgHJivf8yWWh_taIWeNvAYeSFs0SLRMTZLJzohpwGMz9__FBnmx7kTeGWCAbRv6uHXdXQ6f1AH2xvQvZ_loTYVEbmVTViv/s1600-h/Page-1.3-Human-Body-Mech.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285135641114723602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpi6d5FZb2_gOTazu4Dp8ntYBcQf7EeB_n35b2J196x5Fn7PdgHJivf8yWWh_taIWeNvAYeSFs0SLRMTZLJzohpwGMz9__FBnmx7kTeGWCAbRv6uHXdXQ6f1AH2xvQvZ_loTYVEbmVTViv/s320/Page-1.3-Human-Body-Mech.jpg" style="float: left; height: 299px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #ff6600;">Fig 2: The human body is a mechanism (Picture, Adam.com) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfooH3HpxEdRKq8x-CbBGBahAVch_SMRPlruXXAivuLbghqEs9UzF_BdJnh9kwS0w2W57Jj8eeRe2cjcgDNy5UIjpPE2ngVvxyT_poSXnFZkjPd0PwXzgkx4y9azn025IxeuoiaJ9bsvWt/s1600-h/Page-1.4--Mech1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285134928756325762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfooH3HpxEdRKq8x-CbBGBahAVch_SMRPlruXXAivuLbghqEs9UzF_BdJnh9kwS0w2W57Jj8eeRe2cjcgDNy5UIjpPE2ngVvxyT_poSXnFZkjPd0PwXzgkx4y9azn025IxeuoiaJ9bsvWt/s320/Page-1.4--Mech1.jpg" style="float: left; height: 233px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 268px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #ff6600;">Fig 3: The human MusculoskeletalSystem </span><br />
<span style="color: #ff6600;">can be compared to a systemwith </span><br />
<span style="color: #ff6600;">struts and guy ropes. </span><span style="color: #ff6600;">When</span><br />
<span style="color: #ff6600;">engineers design such systems, </span><br />
<span style="color: #ff6600;">the guy ropes are spaced well away. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-lUez4KEqUReDFtMueg8N3DUcYjkC1Sewgccybctp1S9DCSRiXy2_mzQ5bxipTDKYe02ubrzTbPxR7Ut1PDuM89fADzfYIntMzmJbGRObV_aeqIawYb-_L51fhBo_ev74NDyEovNQLB0/s1600-h/Page-1.5--Mech2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285126087580782546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-lUez4KEqUReDFtMueg8N3DUcYjkC1Sewgccybctp1S9DCSRiXy2_mzQ5bxipTDKYe02ubrzTbPxR7Ut1PDuM89fADzfYIntMzmJbGRObV_aeqIawYb-_L51fhBo_ev74NDyEovNQLB0/s320/Page-1.5--Mech2.jpg" style="float: left; height: 233px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 207px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: red;">Fig 4: In the human body, </span><br />
<span style="color: red;">the guyropes (muscles) are </span><br />
<span style="color: red;">closely spaced making the system </span><br />
<span style="color: red;">very fine-tuned and critical.</span><span style="color: red;"></span><br />
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Bones and muscles in the body – which complement one another, and act in unison – form the musculoskeletal system. This system is very, very complex and very critically put together. It is so complex that so far no computer model has been made to explain human movement in a satisfactory way.<br />
Let us find out why the design of the musculoskeletal system is so complex and critical. In Fig 3 we see a structure which engineers design, consisting of struts hinged end-to-end and supported with the help of guy ropes. Engineers design such systems with great care, spacing out the guy ropes to make the structure strong and stable. The human body can be compared to this system by visualizing the struts as bones and the guy ropes as muscles. In the human body however, the guy ropes are very close together, Fig 4, making the structure very critical and prone to postural collapse.<br />
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5. POSTURAL COLLAPSE:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWZEvoyh3ORCne_BTTt1BfWwLOx6EPxJGLyzLi97P_m23tOj8gumPScCLsGzoA0MV-2p0lvp2SNddzzriXM0tC4dEZmSyZpziMp8go0t52mBVS5C7kQhqjXk7ygREroLSeVvb2dHPE2Mb/s1600-h/Page-1.6--Mech3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285125584946874754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWZEvoyh3ORCne_BTTt1BfWwLOx6EPxJGLyzLi97P_m23tOj8gumPScCLsGzoA0MV-2p0lvp2SNddzzriXM0tC4dEZmSyZpziMp8go0t52mBVS5C7kQhqjXk7ygREroLSeVvb2dHPE2Mb/s320/Page-1.6--Mech3.jpg" style="float: left; height: 178px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 158px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #ff6600;">Fig 5. Postural collapse</span><br />
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What is Postural Collapse? Postural Collapse is a condition where the musculoskeletal system is so badly deformed that it is no longer possible to easily revert to the original balanced state. In Fig 5, we see a system of links (bones) controlled by ropes (muscles). In the lower extremities the joints have moved beyond their safe limit causing a group of muscles to be over-contracted. When muscles are over-contracted, over a period of time they stop functioning in a normal way, and cannot readily be relaxed to their original length. (The distortion visualized here will also significantly alter the orientation of bones and muscles higher up, effectively distorting the complete structure!)<br />
As a consequence of this distortion, it is no longer possible for the muscles to contract powerfully, since their natural functioning will by inhibited by the brain to protect the integrity of the body. What appears to be a local weakness, will in reality distort and weaken the whole body - it is a condition that cannot be easily corrected.<br />
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6. EVIDENCE FOR COLLAPSE OF POSTURE?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9YYn7oo4njTF1BrNkhV8fzC87XhiAY0su0aoggVTORKVb3R3uWHyaoBTB5tjXOfm6L1yL3nnwS24cddkNE9CrhZF1LR5hE3PSuCemCCWvntHVOO0t9OxTGkHHD9Rsr1VRGjZ2QxmnE8W/s1600-h/Page-1.7--Neck-Distortion.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285125145356232866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9YYn7oo4njTF1BrNkhV8fzC87XhiAY0su0aoggVTORKVb3R3uWHyaoBTB5tjXOfm6L1yL3nnwS24cddkNE9CrhZF1LR5hE3PSuCemCCWvntHVOO0t9OxTGkHHD9Rsr1VRGjZ2QxmnE8W/s320/Page-1.7--Neck-Distortion.jpg" style="float: left; height: 86px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #ff6600;">Fig 6: Distortions of the neck. A. Neck collapsed forward. B. Head back, Upper neck forward, lower neck back. C. Head pulled back. D. Lower neck collapsed out of sight. E. Overstraightened neck. Fourth vertebra slipped forward on fifth. (From The Alexander Principle, by Dr. Wilfred Barlow).</span><br />
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It is difficult, with our available knowledge, to comment on people’s posture by looking at them externally. It is necessary to look at the internal orientation of bones and muscles. The orientation of muscles unfortunately, cannot be determined readily due to non-availability of suitable sensing equipments. The orientation of bones on the other hand can be studied with the help of X rays. Here too, faults are readily discernable only in X rays taken of the Cervical Vertebrae, as seen in Fig 6. It is not too difficult to visualize that faults shown in the figure will be very difficult to correct.<br />
Studying Fig 6, we can make the following additional deductions. One, if the bones are distorted in this way, the muscular system must be similarly distorted. Two, It is unlikely that distortion will be localized, similar distortions must exist in the rest of the body - even though existing sensing devices may not readily allow us to visualize these distortions. Three, because of the phenomenon of postural collapse, posture can only be defined as being very good or very bad, it is difficult to define something in between. Four, postural collapse is bound to alter our external appearance (we do not have the tools at present to understand from our external appearance, the full gravity of the problem – it will also be inconsiderate to tell a person that his external appearance indicates postural problems; all of us value our external appearance)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0C_pzBdrpXxW0LeYHwzMVu9pl6biIijy37Oxf_ZbG77XI4MbDX48zm-BUC2iiKmngGo83uJ3ROpf5A37s5_ckhZpGDbBMIkajFvbEH4LvuW2KaQjNmeW7SHtdjZWhDdhXZeBOi8i16yj/s1600-h/Page-1.8--Book.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285122806088760098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0C_pzBdrpXxW0LeYHwzMVu9pl6biIijy37Oxf_ZbG77XI4MbDX48zm-BUC2iiKmngGo83uJ3ROpf5A37s5_ckhZpGDbBMIkajFvbEH4LvuW2KaQjNmeW7SHtdjZWhDdhXZeBOi8i16yj/s320/Page-1.8--Book.jpg" style="float: left; height: 91px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 101px;" /></a><br />
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A book is available ( 294 pages, 190 figures) which discusses<br />
this subject in greater detail. Please contact <a href="mailto:sraj99@gmail.com" style="font-family: arial;">sraj99@gmail.com</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff;">TOWARDS A BETTER WAY OF LIFE:</span><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;"><br />They dance best who dance with desire.</span><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">Who lifting feet of fire from fire</span><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">Weave before they lie down</span><br />
<span style="color: #3366ff;">A red carpet for the sun. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3366ff;">Canadian Poet, Irving Layton</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Correcting Posture <a href="http://humanposture2.blogspot.com/">http://humanposture2.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
I. Selvarajhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14486693377388240854noreply@blogger.com