Tag Archives: Muscle Anatomy

January 13 – Issue 20

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2013,a New Year with new beginnings! I hope the festive period was a fun and relaxing time.

With the business still steadily growing,opening hours are increasing,allowing daytime appointments. Full opening hours are found on the back page,but please ask if you would like other times as it may be possible.

April will see a slight increase in prices unfortunately. Sport massage sessions will cost £20,£29 and £36 for 30,45 and hour sessions repectively. Initial consultations will increase to £36. There are still lots of discount opportunities with AFC Kempston and Bedford Leisure Cards or discount packages. Offers can also be found on facebook (EliteTherapy Kempston).

Heart Anatomy

The human heart is roughly the size of a clenched fist and is located in the centre of the body in the ribcage. More technically,its located obliquely within the mediastinum of the thorax¹.

The heart is enclosed within a double sac,the outer fibrous pericardium and the inner serous pericardium. Layers of the heart (from outer to inner) are the epicardium,myocardium and endocardium.

The chambers of the heart are the atria and the ventricles. There are 2 of each and act as a double pump.

The superior and inferior vena cava and the coronary sirus enter the right atrium with 4 pulmunary veins entering the left atrium. The right ventricle pumps blood through the pulmonary trunk and the left ventricle through the aorta.

Movements of the Forearm, Hand and Arm

The forearm, arm and hand work in combination to provide a lot of different movements. One of the main reasons is that the limbs are very dexterous. Specific movements require lots of different combinations, which are provided in the range of movements of the muscles of the forearms and hands. Below are the joints, their movements and the main muscles that provide that movement.

Joint Movement Major Muscles Used
Elbow Flexion Biceps Brachii, Brachialis, Brachioradialis
Extension Triceps Brachii
Forearm Pronation Pronator Teres, Pronator Quadratus
Supination Biceps Brachii, Supinator
Wrist Flexion Flexor Carpi Group, Palmaris Longus
Extension Extensor Carpi Group
Abduction Carpi Radialis
Adduction Carpi Ulnaris
Hand and Fingers Flexion (2nd-5th fingers) Flexor Digitorum group
Extension (2nd-5th fingers) Extensor Digitorum group
Thumb Opposition Opponeus Pollicis
Flexion Flexor Pollicis group
Extension Extensor Pollicis group

Quick Facts

1. “The Greek philosopher Herophilus named the last segments of the vertebrae “kokkyx” as he thought it looked like a cuckoo’s beak.”

2. “The Palmaris Longus muscle is absent in about 11% of the population”

3. “When we stand, the entire weight of our trunk, head and arms is transferred through your vertebrae.”

 References

1. Marieb, E.N., Human Anatomy and Physiology,5th Edition, 2001, Benjamin Cummings, New York.

2. Biel, A., Trail Guide to The Body,3rd Edition, 2005, Books of Discovery, Winnipeg.

October 12 – Issue 19

Extra Opening Hours

Hello and welcome again to Refreshing Rehabilitation. I hope you had a fantastic Summer. Its been action packed in the sporting world with the Olympics, football European Championships and from a cycling perspective, a first ever British Tour De France winner in Bradley Wiggins!

With regards to Elite Thearpy, I am happy to announce opening hours have been extended, allowing more day time appointments for individuals. Monday sees the clinic open from midday and as a promotional offer, a 30 minute massage will be ONLY FIVE POUNDS.

There are also appointments available Thursday mornings as well. Please look at page 4 for opening hours.

Why Do We Stretch?

Stretching is, and always will be, a massively debated topic in the health and mobility of an individual. It has always been seen as an important aspect of exercise, whether at the beginning or at the end of a session, or as part of a general exercise program. The debate begins on what type of stretching to do and for what purpose.

For active individuals, maintaining good mobility by stretching can prevent injury and allows efficient movements in areas being regularly stretched. As an individual gets older, flexibility naturally decreases, so by stretching regularly, it may allow individuals to keep doing the basic  things in life that could be taken for granted. These can be as simple as doing your shopping or even washing. The reason for stretching can vary greatly.

It was commonly thought that static stretching prior to exercise was the most efficient way to prepare muscles. This viewpoint has gradually shifted towards the suggestion that more dynamic stretching should be implied during the initial phase of exercise. There are studies that agree with static stretches¹, though far more have shown a lack of support for this evidence²’³. For sporting individuals, a full body warm up encorporating cardio exercise, joint mobility and muscle mobility seems to be favoured at the current time. Making sure circulation is good prior to stretching is suggested to benefit more as it means blood is moving more freely around to allow a better stretch.

Stretching should only be taken to the point where an individual can normally stretch, as taking it further then normal may have detrimental effects. Overstretching can cause muscle fibres to tear and may lead to injury once more intense and dynamic movements begin.  It is also important to make sure that any stretching that is performed, should be done bilaterally and not just as a measure to stop compensate an existing injury at another location. Unilateral stretching leads to the opposite muscle being under stretched and susceptible to injury due to the imbalance and lack of recognition of the movement due to be performed.

Muscles in The Back

Muscles in our back are commonly injured or are generally ache. It is an area under a lot of stress and this is reflected in these conditions. When standing, the spine bears the brunt of the weight. With supporting discs in the spine and a strong mucle group helping it, the spine can stay strong and you get a good posture.

Muscles in the body cross over in a lot of places as they perform many actions, so its easier to describe them in groups. The erector spinae group runs from the base of the skull to the pelvis close to the spine and provides great support and stability to the spine, through its dense and layered arrangement. The trapezius is a large muscle that connects the neck, shoulder and back, along with covering the shoulder blade. The rhomboid group helps the shoulder blade support the spine. Muscles that cover the back to its side are the large Latissimus Dorsi muscle along with the oblique group and serratus posterior. The provide the strength for sideways movements in the back. Muscles that link shoulder and back are the rotator cuff group, consisting of 4 muscles, each with slightly different roles. Deeper muscles such as quadratus lumborum, illiacus and the psoas group provide core support, and are generally problem areas when an individual experiences lower back pain. All the above (plus many other smaller muscles), help provide movement s in the back such as flexion and extension (bending forward and back), rotation and lateral flexion (side bending). All these muscles, when working, efficientle, provide strength and stability in the back and allow a better posture for the individual.

Quick Facts

1. “Your nose and ears never stop growing.”

2. “We forget 80% of what we learn every day.”

 3. “When you go to sleep you are around half an inch shorter then you are when you wake up.”

References

1. Ghaffarinejad, F., Taghizadeh, S. and Mohammadi, F, 2007, Effect of Static Stretching of Muscles Surrounding the knee on knee joint position sense; British Journal of Sports Medicine; 41; pp.684-687.

2. Behm, D.G., et. al., 2004, Effect of acute static stretching on force, balance, reaction time and movement, time; Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise; 36; pp. 1397-1402.

3. Young, W.B., & Behm, D.G., 2003, Effects of running, static stretching and practice jumps on explosive force production andd jumping performance; Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness; 43; pp. 21-27.