The Loose Link
Revisited
On a recent Practitioner Course we were asked a very interesting question
about the Centre of Gravity and the concept of the Loose Link. This caused
us to rewrite our notes about it to make it clearer. We thought you might
like to see the results.
After I had written the article I got to musing about the loose link. My
musings are at the end.
The Loose Link
Centre of Gravity
This is the body's centre of gravity as viewed from the front of the sacrum.
Notice the joining of the top of the sacrum and the fifth lumbar vertebra
(circle) and hips (dotted line). Remember this is the centre of gravity of
the body.
The Loose Link
The centre of gravity of the body (note the fifth lumbar vertebra) as a whole
is roughly one inch anterior of the area where the hips connect. Any strain
will produce a displacement at this point. No structure is distorted until
the centre of gravity is displaced.
The law of gravity is the most powerful of all natural laws. Analysing its
influence and effects begins here. Make sure you understand the location
of these points and the principal of the "loose link".
A Question
How can the centre of gravity be in the same place for everyone when people
come in all different sizes? We have people who have very long legs and very
short legs; broad shoulders and narrow shoulders; heavy builds and light
builds.
Centre of Mass
The centre of mass of an object is defined as a point in or near an object
at which the whole mass of the object may be considered to be concentrated.
It can often be found by determining where the axes of symmetry for the object
cross and can be calculated knowing the densities of all the parts.
Centre of Gravity
The centre of gravity of an object is defined as a point at which the whole
weight of an object can be considered to act from and, therefore, at which
all parts of the object are in balance.
In static objects of uniform density and shape the centre of mass and the
centre of gravity are the same point. However, in dynamic biological systems
they are not. So the answer to the question above is that what we think of
as the centre of gravity is really the centre of mass, and indeed the centre
of mass of an individual does depend on their body shape and size. However,
their centre of gravity does not!
The centre of gravity of humans is where the whole weight of the body is
considered to act from and the biomechanics of the body dictate that this
is just anterior to the L5/S1 junction. The whole weight of the upper body
has to be transferred to the Earth via the L5/S1 disc, the sacrum, the sacroiliac
joints, the legs and finally the feet.
Newton's Third Law of Motion
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that
there must be an opposing force coming up from the Earth to balance the gravity
pulling us down from the centre of gravity, and in fact there is. It is called
the Ground Reaction Force and it holds us up against the pull of gravity.
It travels the reverse path of gravity; up through the feet, the legs, the
sacroiliac joints and the sacrum. However, the Ground Reaction Force comes
to a focus at the centre of gravity of the sacrum, which is at the third
sacral segment, and not at the L5/S1 junction. This forms a counter weight
to the centre of gravity.
Counterweight
A counterweight is defined as a force or influence that balances or equally
counteracts another.
Because the counterweight and the centre of gravity are not at the same point
a degree of instability exists. Some people feel that the reason that this
has come about is that our basic anatomy developed when we were quadrupeds
and has been adapted, but not altered, to our bipedal gait. This instability
allows us to walk on two legs as it will encourage us to fall forward, and
walking can be considered as a falling forward but preventing the fall by
sticking a leg out in front of us, then repeating the procedure with the
other leg.
The instability has been called the loose link.
Musings on the Loose Link
The sacrum contains the centre of gravity of the body and the counterweight
and is connected by a network of muscles and connective tissue to all areas
of the body. Very small movements in this area have profound effects on overall
posture. These two points don't have a common focus. As a result, the human
body is naturally off balance, leaving this area particularly susceptible
to distortion. Dr. Rosquist called this the loose link. The weakness of this
loose link is the price we pay as a species for our upright posture and the
mobility that we enjoy as a consequence of the flexibility allowed by this
arrangement.
Good posture is best defined as an attitude of the body that allows upright
positions to be maintained and the body's functions to be carried out with
the minimum of effort; the physiological efficient posture. The key word
here is effort. Uprightness is not a passive state. Human beings are not
stationary organisms. The body is a flexible structure which enables us to
run, walk, jump, turn, twist, stand, bend, crouch and stretch. This ability
to make spontaneous movements, known as motility, is dependent on a dynamic
balance being maintained between the continuous downward pull of gravity
and the ground reaction force in opposition to this pull, operating through
the loose link.
No matter how good the posture, or how correct the alignment of body parts,
the maintenance of motility requires effort on the part of the muscles that
use the ground reaction force to hold us up.
When the body becomes distorted, instead of a normal healthy state of tension,
the body's tissues are under strain, leading to damage to muscle and connective
tissue and the underlying structure. If nothing is done to restore good posture,
then a downward spiral of pain, dysfunction and exhaustion will result. Motility
will drastically decrease, which is a sure sign of failing health.
Each of us only has so much energy to devote to our life functions. If this
energy is being diverted to counteract the increased effects of gravity from
musculo-skeletal distortions, then there is less energy left to support our
life functions. Whatever name is applied to this energy (innate intelligence,
vital force, chi, prana, orgone, etc.) deviations from an upright position
mean that there is less of it to go round. Correct the posture and energy
is able to flow back into the damaged tissues and to resume the maintenance
of health and function throughout the body.
Whatever the driving force behind evolution may be, it has always assumed
a single direction for humans: an inexorable progression upward, a continuous
struggle to break free from the force of gravity. Think of our primate ancestors
rising from their four-legged or knuckle-walking posture to become a new
creature, Homo Erectus.
It is this evolutionary advance, the erect posture, that most anthropologists
believed allowed the evolutionary explosion that resulted in our enormous
neo-cortex, our spoken language, our abilities as tool-makers and users,
and our ability to develop complex cultural relationships and abstract ideas.
Uprightness is not just a product of our unconscious mind, it is an evolutionary
necessity. It is imprinted in our DNA. Homo Sapiens is an upright species,
not simply because we need to conserve energy for life functions, but because
we have to be upright in order to fulfil our evolutionary potential.
Perhaps the reason it is possible for such a minimalist technique as Ishta
Spinal Touch to have such profound effects on the body's distortion is because
of the force of this evolutionary imperative. In some way this technique
is able to tap into and release this upward surge.
Finally, if, as suggested by Roger Sperry, more than 90% of the activity
of our central nervous system is related to gravity and its effects, we only
have a small proportion of our potential available to deal with other aspects
of our internal and external reality. Every improvement in our posture which
will minimise the effects of gravity on our everyday lives, has important
consequences for our intellectual and spiritual capacities and our evolutionary
destiny.
Perhaps, instead of looking for the "missing link", we should be looking
at the "loose link" as the evolutionary development that enabled Homo Erectus,
the "upright man", to develop and set our two feet on the upward path of
return.
|
