by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist The cervical spine (CS) in humans and other vertebrates denotes the uppermost section of the spinal column between the head and the thoracic spine. The section generally encompasses seven neck vertebrae and is the most flexible part of the spine. In humans, the first spinal vertebra, also known as…
When we talk about the back muscles, we are talking about the skeletal muscles in the area of the back. Two types of muscles can be distinguished here in terms of developmental history. In this article you will learn which muscles belong to the autochthonous back muscles, how they function and what importance they have…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist There are two menisci located in a human knee joint. The medial meniscus and the lateral meniscus. These halfmoon-shaped pieces of cartilage are located between the femur and tibia, and have very important tasks to fulfil in the knee joint. They act as shock absorbers and distribute pressure. They…
Author: Matthias Keller, OS Institute The term “Functional Training” is becoming more and more a buzzword in the sports and fitness scene. Numerous groups and disciplines have integrated Functional Training over the past years, and added it to their concepts. As a result, many exercises, progressions, and variations have been created. New equipment has been…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist We all know the agony – the horrible pain of a tense neck. But what is it about the neck area that makes us suffer from tension and pain so frequently? The area of the throat and neck is the most flexible part of the spine. Your head is…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist The human body contains over 150 fluid-filled sacs, known as bursae synoviales. These are located primarily in parts of the body that are under continuous stress, like joints, but also in areas, where skin, tendons, or muscles come into direct contact with bone. A bursa serves as a damper…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist The ligament system of the knee joint consists of the cruciate ligaments, the medial collateral ligament, and lateral collateral ligament. The cruciate ligaments have their name from the fact that they cross over at the centre of the knee joint. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are important stabilisers…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist The lower section of the spine is known as the lumbar spine (LS). In humans, this part of the spine is made up of five vertebrae. Walking upright puts extreme stress on that particular region. The weight of the torso and any other weight we might be carrying, must…
Flexibility is a basic motoric attribute, as are endurance, strength, and speed. The flexibility of a joint describes the ability for extensive or optimum range of movement. We further differentiate between general flexibility and specific flexibility, or mobility, that is specific to a certain type of sport. Excellent flexibility depends on a number of parameters:…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist Each spinal disc is a flexible fibrocartilage connection between individual vertebrae. It consists of an outer fibrous ring (annulus fibrosus) and a gelatinous centre (nucleus pulposus). This gelatinous centre has a high water content and acts as a shock absorber. The outer, very strong fibrous ring stabilises the…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist Increasing physical inactivity in children, teenagers, but also in adults and older people has been a topic of importance for years. How does this inactivity and passivity manifest itself in the human body in terms of the joints and their susceptibility to injury? Jumping and running on various…
by Denise Müller, Grad. Sports Scientist There are two distinct areas we will need to have a closer look at when talking about sensorimotor function: “Sensorics” on the one hand, and “motorics” on the other. Sensorics is a collective term for the physical process of all sensory perception (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting),…