Posture & Gait Flashcards
Relative disposition of the body at any one moment in
relation to your line of gravity
Posture
Arrangement of body parts for a specific activity
One joint affects the position of the other joints
Posture
What is the primary curves?
At birth, the entire vertebral column is concave anteriorly and convex posteriorly
○ Thoracic and sacral curves
T or F
Correct Posture - Minimum stress is applied to the joint
Faulty Posture - Any position that increases the stress within the joints
TRUE
Neutral Position of Pelvis landmarks (where is the position of the ASIS in what plane?)
In the transverse plane, ASIS and PSIS are level with each other
● ASIS and symphysis pubis are in the same vertical plane
What is the difference between static and dynamic posture
Static Posture
● The body and its segments are aligned and maintained in a certain position
● Example: standing, sitting, kneeling
Dynamic Posture
● Postures in which the body or its segments are moving
● Example: Walking, running, jumping, throwing, lifting
Which is wrong?
1. Lateral curves should not exist - the presence of a lateral
curve is a pathological condition called lordosis
- The thoracic and sacral curves counter the cervical and lumbar curves
- Lateral curves should not exist - the presence of a lateral
curve is a pathological condition called Scoliosis
The study of any particular posture, whether its static or
dynamic includes_____of all body segments
includes kinetic and kinematic analysis of all body segments
What is the secondary curves?
Secondary Curves
○ Variations occur, giving a more prominent cervical and lumbar curves
○ Concave posteriorly, convex anteriorly - cervical and lumbar segments
○ Concave anteriorly, convex posteriorly - thoracic and sacral segments
○ Cervical and lumbar curves
If the pelvis tilts anteriorly, it causes ______ posture
If the pelvis tilts posteriorly, it may cause _________
If the pelvis tilts anteriorly, it causes lordosis posture
● If the pelvis tilts posteriorly, it may cause flat back posture
Force Couple Actions During Lateral Pelvic Tilting is controlled by?
Controlled primarily by the hip abductors and trunk lateral
benders
The lateral tilting happens during walking and is controlled by several muscles attached to the pelvis. what are these muscles?
Gluteus medius and minimus,
erector spinae,
quadratus lumborum
As we grow older, variations occur in our curves since we have to ???
As we grow older, variations occur in our curves since we
have to equalize the weight distribution within our vertebral
column
These are the different sets of muscle responsible for tipping the body in an upright position in both static and dynamic posture
● Also known as your postural muscles
Antigravity Muscles
T or F
If we have an increase in the lumbar curve, it is known as
flat back posture
If we have an increase in thoracic curve, it is known as a way back
FALSE
If we have an increase in the lumbar curve, it is known as
Wayback
● If we have an increase in thoracic curve, it is known as a
Flat Back Posture
what group of muscles will need to contract if you want to have an upright posture?
With your upper body, we have your neck flexors that must contract to maintain that upright position,
and primarily the neck and trunk extensors,
trunk flexors will co contract at the same time, hip and knee extensors
To maintain a level pelvis when we contract the right hip
abductor, there is a co contraction of the left trunk lateral
benders to oppose the movement so that your pelvis
remains fairly leveled
note
Contraction of the hip flexors and the back extensors tilts
the pelvis to what direction?
Contraction of the hip flexors and the back extensors tilts
the pelvis anteriorly
Where is the COG of a person?
Located within the body approximately at the level of 2nd
sacral segment
What would contract if the disturbance is anteriorly?
What would contract if the disturbance is posteriotly?
● Any disturbance posteriorly, there would be a contraction
of the dorsiflexors
● Any disturbance anteriorly, there would be a contraction of
the plantarflexors
Type of Perturbations that Caused by altering of visual input
○ One way to test is by covering the eyes of the patient
○ Closing the eyes of the patient is one way to progress the balance of the patient
Sensory
type of Perturbations that Caused from direct change in the body’s COM, movement of the body
○ Even breathing can displace the COM due to the changes in the size of the thorax
Mechanical
It is the ability to maintain stability of the body in response to forces that threaten to disturb the body’s equilibrium, according to Levangie
Postural Control
What type of forces Occurs in anticipation of internally generated destabilizing forces such as raising arms to catch a ball or bending forward to tie shoes
Proactive or Anticipatory Responses
Extent of sway
About 4 inches between the feet
12 degrees at sagittal plane
16 degrees at frontal plane
What do we need to do to maintain balance?
To maintain balance, we have this positioning of the head in relation to the eye and body, such that the orientation needs to be aligned to maintain the equilibrium within the body
Major Goals of postural control
○ Control body’s orientation in space
○ Maintain the body’s COM over the BOS
○ Stabilize the head with regard to the vertical alignment so that the eye gaze is approximately oriented
Fixed Support Synergies or Patterns in Response to
Perturbations
Ankle Synergy or Pattern
● Hip Synergy or Pattern
● Change in support strategies
○ Stepping
○ Grasping
T or F
When there are lesser perturbations, there is a bigger
displacement of the body from an upright position
FALSE
When there are greater perturbations, there is a bigger
displacement of the body from an upright position
What type of response will Occur as reactions to external forces that displace the body’s COM
Reactive or Compensatory Responses
Any sudden change in conditions that displaces the body
posture away from equilibrium
Perturbations
Define: Stepping and Grasping
Stepping - forward, backward, sideward
● Grasping - using one’s hands to grasp a bar or fixed-support
Which position - the side, front, or back - of the body
would be best to assess the condition in question 1 (lordisis) ?
The side view
A discrete burst muscle activity on either anterior or post
aspect of the body that occur in a distal-proximal patterns
Ankle Synergies or Pattern
Discrete burst muscle activity in either anterior or posterior
aspect of the of the body that occur in a proximal-distal
pattern
Hip Synergy or Pattern
Used to prevent loss of equilibrium if ankle and hip pattern
is insufficient to maintain the COM over the BOS
note
Forces Acting on the Body: Internal
Produced by activity of muscles, tendons, ligaments,
joint capsules, and other soft tissue structures
note
If a person had an anterior tilt of the pelvis, would you
expect the hip flexors or hip extensors to be tight?
The one right here are the hip flexors
To assess the condition in question 3, which position - the side, front, or back - would be best?
The side view
Fundamental Purposes
● Maintenance of support of the head, arms, and trunk
(HAT) and upright posture
● Clearance from obstacles that enable heel and toe landing
throughout eccentric muscle contraction
GAIT
Generation of mechanical energy by concentric muscle
contraction to be able to initiate, maintain, and propel from
one point to another
● Provision of shock absorption for the LE through eccentric
contraction of muscles to provide stability and decrease
forward velocity to maintain the control of the HAT
GAIT
- upright locomotion in the particular manner of
moving on foot, which may be walking, jogging, or running
Gait
