Stoop-standing

1. Stoop-standing (Fig. 47). - Arises by letting the trunk fall forward, chiefly at the hip joints. In this the body must be carried slightly backward (plantar flexion of the ankle joints) so that the line of gravity may fall within the base. The falling may be more or less deep, according to the mobility of the hip joints, but should not exceed a right angle between trunk and thigh. The position of the trunk and head, as much as possible, as in the Fundamental position; knees straight.

If the forward-bending goes beyond a certain limit, it produces in most people a straightening out, or even a slight forward-bending, of the lumbar spine, because the stretching of Semi-tendinosus, Semi-membranosus, and Biceps Femoris prevents farther flexion of the hip joint. The working muscles are : -

Fig. 46.

(a) Flexors of the hip joint (concentrically), but only very slightly and at the beginning of the forward bending, in order to bring the line of gravity in front of the frontal axis of the hip joint.

(b) Extensors of the hip, Glutei, Semi-tendinosus, Semi-membranosus and Biceps Femoris (first eccentrically and then statically).

(c) The back muscles (chiefly statically), but the innervation must increase according to the depth of the bending.

Effects And Uses

The position has a depleting effect on the organs of the abdomen and pelvis, on account of the increased blood flow to the working muscles of the back, and the Glutei; probably also on account of the compression of the abdomen and consequent increased pressure. When Thure Brandt aimed at increasing the depleting effect he made the patient press the lumbar region backward, and keep this up carefully all through the movement.

Stoop-leg-lean-standing

2. Stoop-leg-lean-standing. - - Similar to the preceding, except that the front of the thigh is supported against a boom, so that the carrying of the body backward for the sake of balance is unnecessary. The heels should be supported by a bar, or something of the kind, if friction is not sufficient to prevent their gliding back.

Working muscles, effects and uses principally as in the preceding position, but the body is also fixed and the legs particularly firmly. It is used on this account in those movements where the Glutei and back muscles act strongly and where the resistance to the movement presses the body forwards, e.g., in strong Back-raisings and 2 Plane Arm-carryings.

Lax-stoop-standing

3. Lax-stoop-standing. - Taken by forward and downward falling of the body in the hip joints and joints of the lumbar spine as far as possible. It relaxes the anterior abdominal wall, and was used formerly (seldom now) in treating the abdominal organs by massage.

Fig. 47.

Fig. 48.

Backward-bend or Arch-standing

4. Backward-bend or Arch-standing (Fig. 48). - Taken by bending backward in the joints of the spine, as much as possible in the dorsal region.

The position of the head on the trunk remains unaltered; knees straight.

The working muscles are: -

(a) Back muscles, especially those lying in the middle part of the back.

(b) Muscles in front of the neck and trunk, statically because the line of gravity for the head and trunk falls behind the spine.

Effects And Uses

(a) Expansion of thorax.

(b) Repleting to abdominal and pelvic organs (according to Brandt), possibly because the abdomen is enlarged and pressure is diminished.

Fall-standing

5. Fall-standing. - The body falls backward at the ankle joints until the line of gravity falls somewhere behind the heels, the position of the body being otherwise unaltered. For this the neck or shoulders must have firm support. It involves static work for all muscles at the back of the body. It is used only for "Fall-standing-raising" (see Back Exercises) and sometimes in 2 Plane Arm-carrying (see Arm Exercises).

Side-bend, or Side-arch-standing

6. Side-bend, or Side - arch - standing (Fig. 49). - Arises if the trunk is bent directly to the side.

In this also the flexion must take place as high up as possible. Rotation carefully avoided. The working muscles are : -

(a) Those muscles on the side towards which the flexion takes place (concentrically). By side muscles we mean all the longitudinal muscles which lie on the same side of the middle line both at the front and back of the trunk.

(b) The muscles of the opposite side (first eccentrically, then statically) as soon as the line of gravity falls on one side of the spinal column.

The position expands one side of the thorax, compresses the other, and is used in treatment of lung diseases, partly to stretch pleuritic adhesions, partly to expand the lung, and partly also to increase the mobility in the joints of the thorax.

Fig. 49.

Turn-standing

7. Turn-standing. - Arises from the Fundamental position by rotating the trunk to one side as far as possible. Position of the head and shoulders in relation to the trunk must not be changed, but the pelvis takes part in the rotation.

The working muscles are (if rotation is made to the left, when the anterior lower border of the right side of the thorax approaches the left anterior superior iliac spine) : -

(a) Those muscles in front of the trunk which go in a direction from below on the left obliquely upward and to the right (left Internal Oblique, right External Oblique).

(b) Those back muscles which go from below on the right obliquely upward and to the left.

(For the sake of brevity we shall call all these muscles the "left rotators of the trunk")

(c) For rotation of the pelvis the following muscles work : Inward rotators of the left hip (anterior part of Glut. Med. and Min.), and the outward rotators of the right hip (Gemelli, Obturators, Quad. Fern., etc.). This can easily be understood if one remembers that, on turning the body to the left, the left leg becomes rotated in and the right rotated out in regard to the pelvis and trunk. We call these muscles "the left rotators of the pelvis."

In rotating to the right the corresponding muscles naturally work on the other side of the body.

Effects And Uses

(a) Mobility of the ribs and joints of the spine is increased.

(b) Those muscles which rotate to the opposite side are passively stretched, so that they are put into a condition to exercise their full strength in afterwards turning forward. (According to physiology the muscular force is greatest when it begins to contract after a passive over-stretching.) It is used, therefore, to exercise the rotators of the trunk and pelvis.

D. By Combination of the positions already described a number of new positions may arise, e.g., Wing-close-standing, Yard-stoop-leg-lean-standing, Stretch-stride-arch-standing, etc. Their effects and uses correspond with what has been said of the simple positions.