The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Maintenance and Repair: Hundreds of Stretches and Exercises for Every Part of the Human Body - Softcover

Moffat, Marilyn; Vickery, Steve; American Physical Therapyt Associaion

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805055711 ISBN 13: 9780805055719

Verlag: Holt Paperbacks, 1999

Inhaltsangabe

The new standard in fitness books, featuring hundreds of at-home stretches and exercises. At last, the first complete, fully illustrated compendium of stretching and exercises for every part of the body, backed by the experience and medical and scientific authority of the American Physical Therapy Association. Each exercise in the book has been prepared and reviewed by a special editorial board, chaired by Dr. Marilyn Moffat, president emeritus of the APTA, and widely considered to be the preeminent expert in the field.

Broken down into three major sections, The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Repair and Maintenance first offers illustrated descriptions of the structure and mechanics of each major body part, explaining what can go wrong and how to properly care for that area. A middle section provides general information on posture, body mechanics, weight control, aerobic conditioning, and maintenance programs. Each chapter references the main part of the book, the catalog of exercises.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

MARILYN MOFFAT is a professor of Physical Therapy at New York University, where she heads doctoral and post-professional graduate master's programs in pathokinesiology. She served as president of APTA for six years.
STEVE VICKERY is a writer and designer for newspapers and magazines. He has developed numerous patient-education booklets for APTA.

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The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Repair & Maintenance

Hundreds of Stretches & Exercises for Every Part of the Human BodyBy Steve Vickery

Holt Paperbacks

Copyright © 1999 Steve Vickery
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780805055719

The American Physical Therapy Association Book of Body Repair & Maintenance

PART I

CHAPTER ONE

The Back

If your back hurts right now, you probably don't care that back pain is the most common cause of "loss of activity" for adults under 45 ... or that it's estimated that as many as 80 percent of American workers suffer back pain at some time during their careers ...or that back pain is the most frequent medical complaint in America next to the common cold ...or that back pain costs us $60 billion annually in medical expenses and lost productivity.

What you care about is that your back hurts.

No one can promise miracles. But reading this chapter and following its recommendations--and, if necessary, working with a physical therapist--just might soothe your aching back.

And if you happen to be one of the lucky people who've never "thrown their back out," you have even more reason to read on. Preventing back problems is a lot easier and cheaper than treating them.

How the Back Works

The back functions as the central link of a kinetic chain that includes the head, jaw, neck, upper back, shoulders, and arms at one end and the legs and feet at the other. All of these different areas of the body are interrelated and depend on each other for correct functioning and movement. This is one reason why a healthy back is so important: it affects virtually every other part of the body in one way or another.

The spinal column, which runs the length of your back, provides basic structural stability to your body. Both your rib cage and pelvis are anchored to the spine, and you depend on the spine for the ability to perform some of the body's most essential movements: bending forward, backward, and to the side, and twisting or rotating.

The main section of the spine is constructed of 24 cylindrical bones, or vertebrae, extending from the back of the head to the pelvis. When looked at from the side, the stacked vertebrae form three natural curves from head to pelvis, with the neck at the top forming a gentle "C" curve, the upper back a gentle backward "C" curve, and the low back another gentle "C" curve. Pairs of bony projections called facets connect the rear sections of each vertebra to form a series of interlocking joints. The vertebrae are the building blocks of the spinal column. Each facet joint has its own synovial membrane that surrounds the joint and secretes a tiny amount of lubricating synovial fluid. And the joint surfaces are covered with a smooth articular cartilage that facilitates movement in the region.

The major portion of the spine is divided into three sections of vertebrae: the 7 cervical vertebrae in the neck region; the 12 thoracic vertebrae of the upper and middle back; and the 5 lumbar vertebrae of the low back. The cervical vertebrae, which are the smallest, are discussed in detail in Chapter 2--The Neck. The thoracic vertebrae, to which the ribs are attached, are midway in size between the cervical and lumbar vertebrae.

The thick, stronger lumbar vertebrae are the largest vertebrae and are designed to take the great stresses of weight, support, and movement put on the low back. The lumbar region usually takes the most "punishment" (for example, through improper lifting) of any area of the back.

At the very end of the spinal column are the sacrum and the coccyx. The sacrum is a fusion of five vertebrae that attaches the spine to the pelvis; the point of attachment (to a part of the pelvis known as the ilium) is called the sacroiliac joint. The coccyx, also known as the "tailbone," is a fusion of three to five very small vertebrae at the very base of the spine.

Between the vertebrae are shock-absorbing disks. They vary in thickness and size. Each disk is made up of a jelly-like center and a thick outer sheath of tough fibrocartilage.

Carved out within the bodies of the vertebrae is a sheltering canal (the spinal canal) for the spinal cord--the nerve impulse transmitter between the brain and the rest of the body. Major nerve roots branch off from the spinal cord and pass through openings in the vertebrae called foramina. These nerves allow our muscles to contract and allow us to perceive sensations such as touch, temperature, and pain. One of the most significant of these is the sciatic nerve--actually made up of five nerve roots coming from the lumbar spine--which runs all the way down the leg, from the low back and through the buttock to just below the ankle. (Because of this, pain in the hip, buttock, and leg is sometimes the symptom of a problem in the back.)

Muscles in the back, neck, and abdominal region, as well as the shoulder and leg muscles, all work together to keep the spine stabilized and aligned properly while still giving the back mobility. Among the more important of these are the erector spinae group, a deep layer of muscles runningalong each side of the spine. These are aided by other, even deeper muscles in the back. Flexible fibrous cords of tissue called tendons--technically, extensions of the muscle--attach the back muscles to the spine and the abdominal muscles to the rib cage and pelvis.

Ligaments, tough bands of fibrous tissue, provide stability and reinforcement by binding each pair of vertebrae together; several long ligaments run the entire length of the spinal column, both in front and back. The spine is further reinforced by joint capsules, fibrous and connective tissue material that surrounds the facets.

What Can Go Wrong

When people complain of a "bad back," they're usually talking about problems in the low back (lumbar region). And for good reason: your low back bears the brunt of bending, stooping, sitting, and especially, lifting. In addition, the lumbar area is very flexible. This flexibility, while essential, leaves the low back particularly susceptible to injury. The thoracic spine is not entirely invulnerable; indeed, due to a loss of bone mass, it can become increasingly fragile as we grow older. The sacrum and coccyx do suffer bruises and (occasionally) fractures due to falls, but though painful, they're rarely serious.

While some back problems may arise as the result of a specific traumatic incident--a fall, sports injury, or car accident--others seem to appear out of nowhere. In cases where there's no obvious cause for pain, the culprit is often the cumulative stress, strain, and abuse from years of poor posture and bad body mechanics. The triggering incident may be so trivial as to go unnoticed. This can make diagnosis of a specific back ailment tricky even for health professionals. While many back problems are often associated with aging, younger people also endure their share of back troubles--whether they stem from injuries, poor posture, or poor body mechanics. Disease and infection, too, can sometimes strike young backs just as it does more commonly older ones.

Back pain comes in many varieties. It can be dull, sharp, constant, intermittent, shooting, tingling like "pins and needles"--even a burning sensation. It is also...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Holt Paperbacks
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1999
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0805055711
• ISBN 13: 9780805055719
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Zeichner: Boles Terry
• Anzahl der Seiten: 288
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Macmillan Publishers International Limited; generalproductsafety@macmillan.com; ; (1st Floor, The Liffey Trust Centre, 117-126 Sheriff Street Upper, Dublin 1; Dublin; Irland