BE PROUD: WE ARE ALL SPECIAL
As mentioned in Section 1 under Objectives vs Subjectives, the Human Genome Project found that every human being shares 99.9% of the same DNA [1][2], this is the objective and defines us as the human species. This may seem a lot but when you consider that Chimps and Bonobos (2 species of the Chimpanzee), the closest relatives to humans, share 96-98.7% of DNA with us[3][4], leaving just 1.2-3.9% to separate us meaning there is actually very little which determines the human species, so we are all pretty special. Furthermore, remember the Bill Bryson quote from the Platform Menu page, well we think it fits perfectly here,
"It is a slightly arresting notion that if you were to pick yourself apart with tweezers, one atom at a time, you would produce a mound of fine atomic dust, none which had ever been alive but all of which had once been you."[5][6]
This quote does not only apply to humans, but every other living thing, break anything down enough and you will simply find a cocktail of chemical elements and nothing else. We all share a great deal not only as a species ourselves, but with other animals and nature as a whole, highlighting the importance of how special every life is.
So sharing 99.9% of DNA, the remaining 0.1% is what makes you 'you', helping to define you as an individual in your own right, and forming part of your subjectives including characteristics and personality. Our bodies all vary somewhat, some are passed down to us genetically, but some we develop post birth, meaning our development is both nature and nurture, the fact that it could be one more than the other is becoming increasingly null. Therefore, whilst we are all special as a species as we share so much, we are all special as individuals too as we are all unique. So no matter your gender or religious beliefs, or the colour of your skin, eyes, or hair, whether you enjoy reading and/or sport/s, preference to be an extrovert or introvert, or a bit of both, be proud to be you because we are ALL individuals that just need to be understood. So whilst we are all the same, our bodies can vary and we all have different interests and passions, and as long as they are morally correct and do not hurt you or anyone else, there is no reason why you should not enjoy taking part and/or doing something that makes you happy, and there is no reason why you should be judged for that either. Be happy by doing what makes you happy - simple!
The issue we have here is that many people are afraid to be themselves, scared to enjoy what makes them happy, you may be one of them, because you are afraid to be judged negatively. Pretty much every individual has at least one insecurity about being themselves, whether that is something they enjoy partaking in, or the way they look, and sadly many go onto change themselves, even aesthetically via cosmetic practices including surgery. This is not saying that all reconstructive surgeries are unnecessary, as they can be very beneficial when it relates to health including trauma, and rather we are saying that you are not alone, we may not all share the same insecurities, but we all have at least one. So as above, ensuring it is morally correct, there is no reason to feel shame or embarrassment, after all, it is difficult to stand out in the crowd of the human population if you blend in so dare to enjoy what makes you smile from the inside out and enjoy being who you are. Sometimes all it takes is finding some likeminded people who make you feel less judged when being yourself, and who make you a better person, this is much easier than wanting to be loved and accepted by everyone as not only is that lonely, but it's exhausting too. Sadly some people's passions and interests mean they are faced with a battle, particularly when it comes to improving society as a whole but imagine if the honorable Nelson Mandela didn't dare stand up against racism in the way he did, and gave in feeling the fight was too much? He stuck to his beliefs and kept his integrity despite everything he faced, knowing he was doing a good thing, and his passion meant he got noticed, and people of all races proudly stood with him in support. The adversity is that sometimes, what is deemed morally correct in certain types of societies, it is not accepted in others, and if such beliefs are held strongly, people often end up judging others for something they simply do not understand enough about. Placing labels is a prime example as modern society seems to feel the need to # everything, with even the term 'flexitarian' being used for those who eat meals with and without meat, and whilst this can help people find community, it can also do the opposite by increasing segregation, and some even feel the need to impose their choices on others rather than letting people choose for themselves. If the world was even a bit more compassionate towards each other, it would be a much happier place for us all.
A relatively easy argument for a more compassionate society is that we must learn to become more compassionate towards ourselves, mentally and physically, as some of, if not all of the most successful battles start with facing the issues within first. Accepting ourselves for who we are naturally makes us more compassionate in accepting others for who they are too, thus feeling free within yourself makes you feel in control of yourself, making the the need to control other parts of your life less. A well known chocolate wafer has been promoting it for years, but when was the last time you gave yourself a break, and felt more compassionate towards your insecurities? If we can learn to accept ourselves for who we are, then it is much easier to accept others for who they are. The song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sun Screen)" by Baz Luhrmann is very apt here, and if you haven't heard it yet, we highly recommend listening to it, because he shares some very helpful wisdom in it which complies here.
PAIN - HYPERMOBILITY - PERFORMANCE - BREATHING PATTERNS - TMJ (JAW) WORK
FASCIA - BIOTENSEGRITY - RECOVERY - SINUSES - REHAB/PREHAB - ANATOMY TRAINS - STRESS
MEDICAL CONDITIONS - INJURIES - HEALTH - ALIGNMENT - BIOMECHANICS - POSTURE
SPORT - REMEDIAL - PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES - MAINTENANCE - HOMEOSTASIS
- BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE BY SEEING THE BEST -
.jpg)
.jpg)
PERFORMANCE SOFT TISSUE THERAPY
SPORT AND REMEDIAL MASSAGE
(BTEC LEVEL 5)
SPECIALTIES: PERFORMANCE (SPORT AND ARTS), HYPERMOBILITY, PAIN AND RESPIRATORY
REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE SMA (EAST ANGLIA AND EAST MIDLANDS) - SPORTS MASSAGE ASSOCIATION
Know Your Body
BLOG
RECOMMENDED THERAPISTS
SEARCH
BOOK CONSULTATION
RECOMMENDED READING LIST
MY ACCOUNT
YOUR PERFORMANCE
SECTION 6: ALIGNMENT
LOWER BODY
FEET AND ANKLES
The “big toe to hip relationship” task above provides some insight here. The concept is balance as always. Too much rotation outwards and too much rotation inwards (such as “pigeon toed”) is bad, and rather the aim is to generally have straight feet day-to-day, thus big toe aligned with your inner ankle – no more, or less, and regarding day-to-day, this is could be running, walking and standing. Straight feet therefore offers functional balance between all 3 arches of the foot (see picture).
PRONATION VS SUPINATION
Regarding posture and biomechanics, the medial longitudinal arch can vary between people. In general, there are 3 postures this part of the body can take:
-
Supination (+2 to +1): can progress into fallen arches and influence knee valgus. Lack of support from big toe, causing gravity to increase pressure down the inner tibia causing increased pressure down into the arch. Using your big toe (function and alignment) and things like towel scrunches help.
-
Pronation (-2 to -1): can progress into bow-legs/knee varus. Lack of use of the big toe causing increased pressures down the outer aspect of the foot, causing tension into the instep due to increased pressure on the toe/foot flexors. Using your big toe more with alignment reduces pressure on the outside of the foot and thus knee and hip.
-
Normal (0): functional use of the big toe, with balanced pressure absorption between outside and inside arches, influencing improved balance up the leg.
There are specific exercises for those with supination or pronation to help create a normal medial longitudinal arch, which can be found in the next section (Section 7).
If you have normal arches, then bonus! If you have supinated or pronated arches, it can be cause or a symptom of other issues, such as hallux bunion (see below), hammertoe/s (see below), knee valgus/varus (see knees), medial/lateral femur rotation, medial/lateral lower leg rotation, and simply, not using the big toe efficiently. The list is endless, but ultimately, the position of the arch and its ability to function is paramount for overall body stability and equilibrium, with pronation and supination being highly associated with ankle sprains or ankle/foot ligament tears for example.
BUNIONS AND HAMMERTOES
THERE ARE PRODUCTS WHICH CAN HELP WITH SUCH DEVIATIONS. TO AVOID GETTING A PRODUCT LESS SUITABLE TO YOU AND OF POOR QUALITY, PLEASE SEE A QUALIFIED THERAPIST* WHO CAN HELP. (FOR EXAMPLES, PLEASE SEE 'RECOMMENDED LIST OF PROFESSIONALS'.)
*Qualification must be accredited by the relevant professional governing body, and include foot biomechanic training. Prime examples are Podiatrists and Chiropodists whom specialize on the feet, and Physiotherapists, Advanced Soft Tissue Therapists and Sport Therapists may also have relevant training.
BUNIONS
Also known as hallux valgus, is where the big toe points outwards towards the 2nd toe which increases friction and eventually soreness and potentially swelling on the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint (where the foot meets the big toe). You can also get bunions related to the little toe (5th toe), again at the metatarsophalangeal joint, and these are generally called bunionettes.
You can be born with a bunion albeit very rare, and this is called Congenital Hallux Valgus. If it is acquired, and thus you are not born with it, there can be a plethora of causes. Such causes include wearing tight and/or narrow and/or pointed shoes, foot shape which is inherited, and medical conditions such as arthritis.
HAMMERTOES
Where the bones of the toe bend so that they cannot lie flat to the floor, and it can occur on the 2nd to 5th toes, it generally starts off mild and progressively gets worse without treatment. Such dysfunction tends to place increased dysfunctional pressure through the foot, producing further issues.
Alike bunions, they are rarely congenital meaning people are rarely born with them, and rather they are caused by a traumatic toe injury, wearing unsupportive footwear, increased pronation which can be hereditary due to foot shape or acquired through poor posture/biomechanics or injury, or medical conditions such as injury. Furthermore, poor posture/biomechanics can influence hammertoe through tightened ligaments and shortened muscles of the foot and lower leg.
KNEES
The knee is a hinge joint that joins the Tibia and Fibula of the lower leg to the femur of the upper leg, and because it translates various forces depending on its requirements, it has extensive connective tissue to help ensure its stability.
INSIGHT: The knee joint contains the largest sesamoid bone in the body, this is called the Patella, aka kneecap, and is situated within the Patella Tendon. When born, the patella is cartilage, not bone, with the cartilage changing into bone at the age of around 3 years and continues this process until around 10 years. It is positioned between the outside and inside grooves of the femur, with Patella dislocation occurring when the patella bone moves beyond these grooves.
LIGAMENTS: There are 4 predominant ligaments of the knee, these being:
-
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
-
Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)
-
Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)
-
Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)
The ACL and PCL work together to maintain balance between pressures on the front and back of the leg, whilst the MCL and LCL work together to maintain balance in sideways movements.
INSIGHT:
ACL: Starting from the inside centre of the back of the femur, it runs down and forward to attach to the outside centre of the front of the tibia.
-
Resists backwards translation of the femur when moving on top of the tibia.
PCL: Starting from the inside centre of the front of the tibia, it runs up and backward to attach to the outside centre of the back of the femur.
-
Resists forward translation of the femur when moving on top of the tibia.
Therefore, ACL works when going from deceleration to acceleration, and when injured, can cause instability and pain when moving downstairs, where as the PCL works when going from acceleration to deceleration, and when injured, can cause instability and pain when moving upstairs.
VALGUS vs VARUS vs NEUTRAL
The position of the knee can give great insight into how the leg functions, and thus, can therefore somewhat explain knee injuries, knee pain, and furthermore, how to improve knee function and thus stability. Such positioning can be influenced by genetics, injury/ies, and general biomechanics and posture.
VALGUS
Aka Genu Valgus, it also known as ‘knock knees’, and enables an individual to stand with knees touching due to a medial rotation of the femur/s. Due to a weakened big toe – hip relationship, the knee falls down and in due to weakened hips allowing some inward rotation of the femur. This can lead to further dysfunction such as supinated or collapsed arches of the feet, tense IT Bands, and at worst, ACL injury. It can also influence Osteoarthritis.
There are 6 medial rotators of the hip:
-
Tensor Fasciae Latae (outside of the hip and upper leg)
-
Part of gluteus medius (outer half of the pelvis to hip)
-
Part of gluteus minimus (outer portion of the pelvis close to the hip)
-
Adductor Longus (inner thigh)
-
Adductor Brevis (inner thigh)
-
Adductor Magnus (inner thigh)
-
Pectineus (top of the inner leg)
These muscles lengthen in eccentric contraction when you laterally rotate the hip/femur and shorten in a concentric contraction when you medially rotate the hip/femur. However, if the hip is medially rotated due to that leg being shorter, it can be somewhat weak despite the rotation (this is covered in more depth later in Hips and Pelvis).
NOTE
Due to engineering and physics, as the hip medially rotates, the pressure on the inside of the knee increases through compression, as the outside of the knee becomes strained and vulnerable. The two bones of the lower leg, the tibia being the larger of the two, are then having to compensate and absorb some of the tension pulls as the femur medially rotates, and this can commonly cause supination which can influence more lateral rotated feet although this is not always the case.
TRICK
Practice laterally rotating the femur into a straight leg position, noting foot position is also paramount.
VARUS
Aka Genu Varum, it is also known as ‘bowlegs’, and is where an individual is unable to stand with knees touching due to a laterally rotated femur. Due to a weakened big toe – hip relationship, the knee faces outwards due to tight hips and external rotation of the femur. This can lead to further dysfunction such as pronated feet or supinated feet, tight IT Bands, Sciatica, PCL tears and can influence Osteoarthritis.
The lateral rotators of the hip, thus, the muscles which rotate the hip and femur outwards are in the pelvis area, attaching the sacrum/sacral spine and the pelvis to the hip/top of the femur. So when you point your toes outwards, and your knee/s point outwards too, these muscles in your bum are shortening in a concentric contraction. There are 6 lateral hip rotators which are the antagonists to the medial hip rotators:
-
superior gemellus
-
inferior gemellus
-
obturator externus
-
obturator internus
-
quadratus femoris
-
piriformis
Daily examples of this lateral rotation include sitting cross legged, driving and rotating one leg out to rest on the door panel/middle section such as in an automatic or on cruise control, standing at 10 and 2 as in the armed forces, and standing/walking with toes pointing out is more common than you would think. Want to know which way your feet naturally point? Lie down on a flat surface face up, relax your legs and see which way your feet point.
NOTE
Due to engineering and physics, as the hip laterally rotates, the pressure on the outside of the knee increases through compression, as the inside of the knee becomes strained and vulnerable. The two bones of the lower leg, the tibia being the larger of the two, are then having to compensate and absorb some of the tension pulls as the femur laterally rotates, and this can commonly cause pronation which can influence either laterally or medially rotated feet. There is more information on this, especially the Piriformis later in Hips and Pelvis.
TRICK
Practice medially rotating the femur into a straight leg position, noting foot position is also paramount.
NEUTRAL
There is neither internal or external rotation of the femur as the big toe – hip relationship is healthy and strong, meaning the knee faces forward/straight allowing the connective tissue to translate various forces with efficiency, reducing likelihood of injury or pain.
FUN FACT
As the Gluteus Minimus and Medius muscles connect the pelvis to the Greater Trochanter (head of the femur – the hip), as does the Piriformis, they can impact each other greatly. Therefore, they act directly on each other, as the Piriformis shortens for example, the Gluteus Medius and Minimus MUST lengthen, and vice versa. Find balance between these 2 groups and you will find better pelvic balance which influences better knee balance.
MEDIAL AND LATERAL MENISCI
-
Menisci for plural, Meniscus for singular.
-
There are two within each knee joint.
-
They are crescent shaped pads of fibrocartilage attached to the flat surface of the superior tibia (tibial plateau) which reduce friction between tibia and femur, help weight distribution and act as shock absorbers.
-
There is one on the inner knee, and the other on the outer knee, the inner meniscus being the larger of the two. You can tear a meniscus by overloading the joint, placing excessive pressure which the meniscus is unable to absorb, and usually occurs when rotational pressures are involved.
TAKE THE QUIZ!
YOUR SCORE:
If you had issues answering any and got them wrong, don't worry, here are the answers with some info:
-
-
-
DONE!
DID YOU FIND THIS SECTION INTERESTING?
YES NO
DID YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW?
YES NO
Again, better format with selection buttons. Information to be stored and used for website management.