Lecture 21: Posture Flashcards
an inverted pendulum in the field of gravity
Posture
Maintenance of body alignment and spatial orientation in order to put the body in a position to enable effective movement
Postural control
Sources of Problems
- High Center of Mass
- Multiple Joints
- Small support area (1 square foot)
- Stability
A position that is resistant to disturbance or returns to its natural state after disturbance
Stability
Sway increases under these conditions:
- closed eyes (one needs a reference frame)
- standing on a narrow support
- age, disorder, injury
Sway decreases under these conditions
- light finger touch (to virtually any part of the body)
- holding an object connected to the external world
Two different processes that you can do with Sway
Supraspinal Process (RAMBLING) and Subspinal Process (TREMBLING)
Migration of the reference point, with respect to which equilibrium is instantly maintained; likely a reflection of a central search process
Rambling (Supraspinal Process)
Likely a reflection of the mechanical properties of the effectors and reflex loops
Trembling (Subspinal Process)
The body oscillates about a reference point, which the reference point ____.
nitrates for reasons that are not well understood
_______ is one of the least prominent senses.
Sense of Balance
They are innervated by the peripheral ends of bipolar sensory neurons in the ampullary nerve.
Vestibular hair cells
The ampullary crest is covered by a gelatinous, diaphragm-like mass called the _____.
capula
sensitive to angular acceleration of the head
semicircular
The fluid in the semicircular canals move when ____.
the head rotates
the fluid acts on ___ and displaces the hair cells, which generate APs.
cupula.