Beyond the Spinal Curves
The body is more than the just the spine
Plumb Line Assessment
We are all used to assessing the quality and degree of lordosis at the L5/S1
joint. But how many of us look beyond the L5/S1 curve and assess the other
curves within the spine? Then again how many of us look even further and
assess the curves of the rest of the body?
Assessing the curves of the body can give us a great insight into the level
of vitality, mobility, strength and the general level of health of a person.
When all curves throughout the body are in balance, along with correct posture
at the plumb line, there will be optimal health.
Where are these other curves within the body?
Obviously there are the other spinal curves, cervical, thoracic, and sacral.
Beyond the spine there are the following curves that have an impact on the
structure and posture: occipital, knee, back of the heel and the arch of
the foot.
These can be divided into the primary and secondary curves as shown on the
diagram below:
The difference between secondary and primary curves.
This stems from their development during childhood. A baby's spine is one
"C" shaped curve, this is the original primary curve.
At 3 to 4 months old a baby begins to lift it's head up to observe the world
around it and the pull of gravity and the muscles on the cervical vertebrae
changes their shape and the secondary cervical curve begins to develop.
Approximately twelve months old a child begins to walk and the
muscles in the lower back, which have been relatively dormant up
to this point, begin to exert pressure on the lumbar vertebrae and
mould them into the secondary lumbar curve. These secondary curves
balance the primary curve and allow an upright posture.
This upright posture introduces the body to the new exposure of
gravity and the spine adapts continuing the development of these
secondary curves until they are fully grown.
Once in the upright posture the other secondary curves of the knees and the
arches of the feet begin to develop as a response to the pull of the muscles
and fascia on them.
If any of these growing stages are missed then the musculature doesn't have
the chance to develop fully, which can have an impact on the quality of the
secondary curves.
All the curves are linked?
All of the primary and secondary curves are linked by a continuous fascial
chain, we call it the external posterior fascial chain, or EPFC for short.
This chain begins at the plantar surface of the feet and finishes just over
the bridge of the nose. It is believed that the secondary curves begin when
a motor response is exerted upon this chain which stimulates extension
mechanisms, first in the cervical area then in the lumbar area and finally
in the plantar area of the foot.
The primary curves are more or less maintained by the shape of
the structures supporting them. The occipital curve is maintained
due to the interlocking of the occiput with the other cranial bones;
the thoracic curve is supported by the ribs and sternum; the sacral
curve is supported by the pelvis; the heel by the shape of the foot.
However, the secondary curves are much more influenced and dependent on the
balance of muscles, first to create them and then to maintain their position
and shape.
The cervical and lumbar areas are the free standing parts of the spine and
their stability and positioning depends more heavily on the guy ropes of
the surrounding myofascia. In the knees the bones and ligaments leave the
knees free to move from full flexion to hyperextension, but it is muscle
balance above and below that determines where the knees habitually rest.
The arches of the feet are finally pulled into position as the child begins
to stand and maintenance depends upon the successful balance between the
soft tissues in the legs and feet as much as on any actual arches of the
bones.
When we are assessing postural patterns we need to be aware that all secondary
curves are related to each other. A lack of balance in one often sets up
a compensatory pattern in the nearby secondary curves. It's a reciprocal
relationship. For example, hyperextended knees are usually a secondary curve
problem. The curve of the knee in hyperextension is reversed, leading to
problems in other secondary curves, namely the lumbar and cervical lordoses
and, if left, this eventually affects the arches of the feet.
Problems within the EPFC
We will see a lot of people presenting with one or more of the following
symptoms which can be due to disturbances within this chain:
Dropped arches of the foot
Plantar fasciitis
Achilles tendonitis
Compartment syndrome
Calf tightness
Hamstring strains and tears
Sacral pain and instability
Sciatica
Lower back problems
Mid and upper back problems
Forward head posture
Looking in more depth at the other postural curves of the body will give
us more information about where the body is carrying stresses and allow us
to see links between symptoms that a person is presenting with. We can then
use this information to give them some suitable lifestyle advice and maybe
use another technique to speed up the change at one of these other curves
within the structure. |
