Balance and Flexibility Flashcards
what 3 different systems does balance integrate in the body?
- sensory
- motor
- cognitive
what is balance?
a state of equilibrium within the body
where do we receive sensory stimuli related to balance?
- eyes: vision
- ears: semi-circular canals: hairlike receptors that detect fluid movements that will know what way our body is tilted
- kinesthetic sensors: detect changes in muscle length and tension (two types: golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles)
location of Golgi Tendons Organs and what they do?
- located in the tendons (attach muscle to bone)
- detect tension from muscle contraction
- response is relax contracting muscle
cellular level of golgi tendon organs
- GTO sends message to the cognitive processor
- motor response (inhibition of contracting muscle)
- this alleviates the tension in the tendon so that we do not hurt ourselves
location of muscle spindle
- located between muscle fibers
function and mechanism of muscle spindles?
- provide information on muscle length, tension and load
- THEY INITIATE CONTRACTION
- resist stretch by stimulating reflexive contraction
- inhibition signal to opposing muscle group
what are the two types of balance?
- static: the ability to hold a steady position (handstand)
- dynamic: the ability to maintain equilibrium in motion (ex. speed skating (figure skating))
summary of kinesthetic sensors: how do they respond to stimuli?
both detect tension
GTO: sending a signal to relax the contracting muscle
MS: sends a signal to contract the active muscle and then inhibit the antagonist (opposite) muscle
why is balance important?
- health
- performance
why is health making balance important?
- fall prevention
- health care expenditures
why is performance making balance important?
- daily living (can I stand in the shower?)
- occupation
what sex is more likely to fall? by how much?
females are 1.5-2x more likely to fall
- problem because of osteoporosis causes a lot of fracture as we age
what can lead to fewer falls and longer independent functioning?
strength and power training
factors related to balance performance?
- body weight
- strength / power
- center of gravity
- fear
- co-ordination
- environmental factors
importance of flexibility?
- daily living (cannot put coat on)
- performance of sport
- occupation
- leisure time PA
- function + independance
define flexibility:
- range of movement about a joint or joint
- joint specific, not a whole body characteristic
how do we improve balance?
- practice
- doing resistance exercise related to the balance muscles
- perform movement unilaterally instead of bilaterally
- narrow base of support
how do we predict if someone can or cannot be flexible?
- anatomical factors: bone structure and muscle bulk
- joint/tissue laxity: genetic, too much flexibility could reduce the stability of a joint and increase susceptibility of joint
- inactivity
- age (increase up to age 18 and then starts to go down)
- temperature (more ability when warm)
how do we measure flexibility?
- goniometry: double-sided protractor right over joint wanting to measure and alight ‘rulers’ with the bone line and flex or extend joint
- performance measures (ex. sit and reach)
what is active range of motion?
Active: how much we can move our joints voluntarily (how much I can stretch my leg)
what is passive range of motion?
Passive: adding addition force to our voluntary joint movement (ex. someone pushes)
what is static stretching?
- performed after activity
- we hold position
- makes us more flexible
- most productive after we are warm
what is dynamic stretching?
- during our warm up
- range of motion activities
- ballistic stretching: bouncing movements
- proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF): resisting a stretch while a partner pushes it
what may static stretching be negative for?
strength, sprinting and jumping.
(dynamic shows no change)
does stretching prevent injury in sport?
inconclusive
