When you study anatomy you develop this tendency to people watch. Whether its looking at people who walk past the coffee shop and seeing how many people in high heels can actually straighten their legs or whether it is looking at artistic performers or movement specialists in wonder.
No where is this more prominent than in sport. The things that sports people put their bodies through, or are able to do with their bodies can be just amazing.
The distinctive kicking style of Tayla Harris is nothing short of the full splits performed whilst sprinting, no break in stride. Whilst recent pictures on social media have prompted some repulsive comments very few have risen to the challenge of recreating the photo of the kick.
On a recent trip to America I filmed this baseball player. Just look at the position he gets into, effortlessly.
The problem, of course, is if you push yourself to the limits at some point you are going to find them and things are going to go wrong.
The various tests for knee ligaments are something that I have performed a few times. The cruciate ligaments hold the knee joint in place. The Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) stops the femur from moving too far backwards in the joint and the Posterior Cruciate ligament does the opposite.
You test the ACL with the anterior drawer test. The knee is bent at right angles, the foot stabilised and, with the hands behind the joint to check the hamstrings are relaxed you gently see if the tibia will move forward in the joint. There should be some movement but not much.
It’s the same problem as a lot of these tests. They are usually demonstrated on someone who has in tact ligaments. Its very similar to the cranial nerve tests which are usually demonstrate with someone who has functioning cranial nerves. How do you know what the normal range of movement is?
This week a sports injury from 2014 almost ‘broke’ the internet.
In the 2014 rugby game where South Africa took on Wales, Jean de Villiers suffered a horrific knee injury. I’m not going to post a video of the injury because it is shocking. If you want to see it you can find it on the internet but it is not for the faint hearted.
It was thought he would never walk again. He had numerous operations and he made it back to playing rugby.
This week he was demonstrating on instagram that his knee was a bit loose.
That is too much movement! And yet he is walking around on it – the body finds a way.
In the week that we also lost Niki Lauda, and realise the things his body went through and he put it through during his recovery, it’s amazing to look at what some people are prepared to put their bodies through to pursue their dreams and equally amazing what the body is capable of.
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