Muscular Balance

I wanted to add a photo, to further illustrate this muscle balance/imbalance theme, so that I can be sure we are all on the one plane, before I proceed further with the discussion.

Here is an illustration of the elbow joint in action; there is a small amount of flexion, and one rope, (marked "B"), which represents the Biceps Brachii, displays some tension. This is a "drawbridge" situation, an analogy that I often use in anatomy workshops, where the biceps behaves like the rope or cable that raises the drawbridge that you might see at an ancient castle.

One point I am trying to make here is, the same cable that raises the bridge, lowers the bridge. At all times, the muscle marked "T", representimg the Triceps Brachii, is idle.

So, if you or I regularly use the biceps in elbow flexion, such as the person at the gymnasium that might be performing the exercise commonly known as "curls", the triceps will be on holidays; even if you're not a fitness person, many of your day-to-day activities will involve elbow flexion, and the triceps muscle is often under-used, and develops flaccidity, or looseness.

Consider what impact, small or great, this has on the elbow joints - remember, there are three of them, and, scapula position and performance.

More next week, possums.