POSTURES

Posture is defined as the average orientation of the body It is an active process and is the result of no. of reflexes, many of which have a tonic character. The stresses related to human body is classified into:
b) Task stress
a) Postural stress

POSTURAL STRESS

It is used to denote the mechanical load on the body by virtue of its posture. Task Stress It depends on the mechanical effort needed to perform the task

COMPARISON TABLE
ACTIVITY Digging a trench Painting a ceiling POSTURAL STRESS High High Low TASK STRESS High Low

Competitive weightlifting Reading a book

High

Low

Low

FUNCTIONS OF SKELETAL SYSTEM

Support Protection(the skull protects the brain and the rib cage protects the heart and lungs) Movement Homopoiesis(certain bones produce red blood cells in their marrow)

FUNCTIONS OF MUSCULAR SYSTEM

To produce movement of the body or body parts To maintain posture Heat production(muscle cells produce heat as a by-product and are an important mechanism for maintaining body temperature)

POSTURAL STABILITY

In order for the body to be stable,the combined centre of gravity of the various body parts must fall within a base of support(the contact area between the body and the supporting surface) In standing,the weight of the body must be transferred to the floor through the base of the support

TENT ANALOGY

Ideally, the lines of action of the masses of the body parts should pass through or close to the relatively incompressible bones of the skeleton. The joined skeleton thus supports the body parts and is itself stabilised by the action of muscles and ligaments

LIKELIHOOD

In tent analogy, Skeleton

articulated tent pole with guy ropes(postural muscles) on every side. Soft tissues Fabric of the tent Ligaments Springs and rubber fittings that stabilize the articulations of the tent pole. Tendons ends of guy ropes where they insert into poles

Any displacement of the COG of the structure in a given direction leads to tension in the guy ropes on the opposite side.

Postural stress can cause pain.

Workers who have to work with the spine flexed forwards(by 60 degrees for more than 5% of the day or 30 degrees for more than 10% of the working day) or rotated more than 30 degrees suffers back pain.

SOME BASIC BODY MECHANICS

Without its associated trunk muscles, the human spine is very weak-it buckles under a compressive load of only 90N. Although a neutral position of minimal postural stress does exist, it depends on lowlevel antagonistic co-contraction of the trunk flexors and extensors.

SPINE AND PELVIS

They support the weight of the body parts above them and transmit the load to the legs via the hip joints.
Almost all the movements of the torso and head involve the spine and pelvis in varying degree.

SPINE
Quadru-pedal animals and human babies have a single spinal curve running dorsally from pelvis to head. In adults the spine is shaped such that it is close to or below the COG of the superincumbent body parts that are supported axially(i.e)the effect of weight bearing in the standing posture is to compress the spine. This compression is resisted by the vertebral bodies and the intervertebral discs. The cervical and lumbar spines are convex anteriorly a spinal posture known as

lordosis

 It is the presence of these lordotic curves that positions the spine close to or directly below the line of gravity of the superincumbent body parts. The effect is to reduce the energy requirements for the maintenance of the erect posture and place the lumbar motion segments in an advantageous posture for resisting compression. The thoracic spine is concave anteriorly and is strengthened and supported by the ribs. The S shape of the spine of a person standing erect gives a spring-like structure such that it is better able to absorb sudden impacts, such as the mechanical shock when the heel strikes the ground when walking than if it were a straight column.

 The loss of the S shape in sitting may be one of the reasons why drivers of trucks and farm vehicles who are exposed to vibration in the vertical plane are so prone to back trouble. The spine can be considered to consist of three anatomically distinct but functionally interrelated columns .The anterior column, consisting of the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs and anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments, is the main support structure of the axial skeleton

INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS

The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers and limit and stabilize the articulation of the vertebral bodies. Each disc consists of concentric layers of cartilage whose bres are arranged obliquely in a manner similar to a cross-ply tyre. The layers of cartilage enclose a central cavity that contains a proteinmineral solution(proteoglycans). Positive osmotic pressure ensures that water is always tending to enter the disc. Thus, the discs are pre-stressed to withstand loading (in a manner analogous to reinforced concrete beams used in the construction of modern buildings).

 Intervertebral discs exhibit viscoelastic behaviour. Forces of rapid onset are resisted in an elastic manner. The disc deforms initially then returns rapidly to its original shape when the force is removed. Under continuous loading, however, the disc exhibits a type of viscous deformation known as creep. Creep occurs as a result of loading above or below a threshold level. Under compressive loading, the disc narrows as uid is expelled and the superior and inferior vertebral bodies move closer together. The narrowing and expansion of the disc spaces is natural and occurs as a result of the forces exerted on the spine during daily living activities.

 Since there are 24 vertebral bodies, all with discs between them, the shrinkage and expansion of the discs paces results in measurable changes in stature. Most people are about 1% taller when they wake up in the morning than when they go to bed at night for this reason. Stature change also occurs with age; after about 30 years of age, the inter-vertebral discs degenerate, developing micro-tears and scar tissue, uid is lost more readily and the disc space narrows permanently. At this stage, the spinal motion segments lose stability. It is not surprising then, that most occupationally induced low back pain occurs in middle-aged.