| Abstract/Notes |
Exercise is advocated because of the changes induced in the musculoskeletal system, yet everyday activites also include a key component of exercise-repeated movements. Alignment and movements patterns are carefully addresed in the training of athletes,yet little attention is given to these factors in everyday activities. Postural alignment is the basis of movement patterns,thus optimal movement is difficult if alignment is faulty. Long gone are the days when children were strongly reminded to sit and stand up straight. In years past,most men had to serve in the military,and an intrinsic part of that experience was training that required standing with good alignment,today,the slouched or slumped position is aceptable. Furniture is shaped to acccommodate and encourage the slumped posture,farticularly when at home"relaxing" Acceptance of poor posture is particularly notable when,as a society,we sit more than we have in the past. Ironnically,as women approach the senior status,a major concern is the development of the kyphotic posture,charateristic of "old"women. Yet,asyoung women, Little effort is spent to prevent the development of an increased thoracic curve. Wolff's law, which states that bones adopt the shape of the forces that are imposed on them,is a wellaccepted principle of the skeletal system. The tissues controlling the aligment and stability of the joints are also influenced by the forces placed on them. In an era in wich lifestyles are relatively sedentary, musculoskeletal tissue is not as well developed as it should be becouse of a lack of physicaldemands,thus pre disposing the body to injury mqre readly than if tissues were"stronger"from responding to stress. The consequence is a greater predispositio to mechanical in juries from the repeated movements of everiday activities. |
