- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
YOU are here : Home > Spinecare Topics > Exercise and The Spine > Postural ( Reflexes ) Awareness Training
Spinecare Topics
Exercise and The Spine
Postural ( Reflexes ) Awareness Training
Postural ( Reflexes ) Awareness Training
Posture is a sophisticated event initiated and controlled by complex nerve activity called postural reflexes. Posture is not solely the summation of muscle strength and bony development it is the summation of finely tuned muscle activity. Postural reflexes help to set the state of contraction of muscles, an end result referred to as muscle tone. For example, standing upright requires the cooperative effort of many different muscle groups. Some of the muscles are required to contract while others need to relax. Some of the muscles have to work in opposition to one another to stabilize a joint or a bodily region. This complex sequence of events requires the control of the central nervous system (CNS). This is accomplished with the feedback of specialized neurological sensors (receptors) in muscle tissue and tendons.
A highly specialized position sensor found in muscle is called the muscle spindle. It helps to regulate muscle tone and the timing and strength of muscle contractions. Muscle spindles play an important role in determining and regulating posture. When a muscle is stretched muscle spindles elongate leading to the release of a barrage of sensory nerve signals which travel back to the spinal cord. These signals stimulate the firing of other nerves some which lead to contraction of the muscle and subsequently an increase of muscle tone and others which inhibit the contraction of opposing muscle groups. . A good example of this process is when a doctor taps on the patellar tendon of the knee. This causes the quadriceps muscle to stretch, leading to the muscle spindle activation within the muscle. The barrage of nerve impulses from the stretched muscle spindle causes a reflexive and unconscious muscle contraction and a leg jerk response. As the muscle contracts the muscle spindle goes back to its resting state thus toning down the muscle contraction.
Postural muscles usually have firm tone and very sensitive muscle stretch receptors. If they did not have sensitive receptors a person would be much more susceptible to poor postural and posturally induced injuries. The central nervous system is always readjusting the tone of postural muscles including those of those of the spine. Other types of reflexes which help to control movement and postural include the tendon reflex via the golgi tendon organ, withdrawal reflexes and crossed extensor reflexes. These involuntary reflex mechanisms work together to maintain help posture. Increased postural awareness helps to fine tune the neurological mechanisms, which control posture.
A highly specialized position sensor found in muscle is called the muscle spindle. It helps to regulate muscle tone and the timing and strength of muscle contractions. Muscle spindles play an important role in determining and regulating posture. When a muscle is stretched muscle spindles elongate leading to the release of a barrage of sensory nerve signals which travel back to the spinal cord. These signals stimulate the firing of other nerves some which lead to contraction of the muscle and subsequently an increase of muscle tone and others which inhibit the contraction of opposing muscle groups. . A good example of this process is when a doctor taps on the patellar tendon of the knee. This causes the quadriceps muscle to stretch, leading to the muscle spindle activation within the muscle. The barrage of nerve impulses from the stretched muscle spindle causes a reflexive and unconscious muscle contraction and a leg jerk response. As the muscle contracts the muscle spindle goes back to its resting state thus toning down the muscle contraction.
Postural muscles usually have firm tone and very sensitive muscle stretch receptors. If they did not have sensitive receptors a person would be much more susceptible to poor postural and posturally induced injuries. The central nervous system is always readjusting the tone of postural muscles including those of those of the spine. Other types of reflexes which help to control movement and postural include the tendon reflex via the golgi tendon organ, withdrawal reflexes and crossed extensor reflexes. These involuntary reflex mechanisms work together to maintain help posture. Increased postural awareness helps to fine tune the neurological mechanisms, which control posture.
