Meniscus & Sports

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…

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Neck Tension

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…

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Bursa – Bursitis

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…

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Knee Stability – The Cruciate Ligaments

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…

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Flexibility

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:…

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A Healthy Spinal Disc

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…

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Joint Stability

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…

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Sensorimotor Function & Proprioception Demystified

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),…

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Training Intelligence – Intelligent Training

Movement learning and movement relearning are difficult challenges every trainer faces with his charges on any given day. The conscious inclusion and improvement of sensorimotor skills will optimise the foundations for movement learning, and will facilitate reaching set targets for desired training adaptations. Sensorimotor function is the basis for every training stimulus. The better the…

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