Curvature

Curvature is an interesting way to study movement. How  something curves identifies a number of things about its role in the environment. If we consider an analogy of Stretch Armstrong, he stretches yes, but he also bends and contorts. Those contortions are curves in the fabric of his making, they reveal how he moves.

Einstein’s theory of gravity is widely considered one of the best theories to date. It describes the curvature of our environment and how it warps things to create our experience of gravity. Everything follows this principle, including human beings. Looking at the folds in someone’s skin, or their shape begins to identify ways in which they move. As a physical therapist, having this knowledge in mind we can begin to assign interventions that promote the changes patients are looking for.

Let’s take the arch of the foot as an example. There are certainly, tendencies amongst people’s feet that lead to a flatter foot or a higher arch. However, there are subtleties about everyone’s arch that reveal the pressures applied to the foot during movement. A higher arch may indicate that someone is leaning very far forward over their foot, allowing the arch to rise, or possibly that their center of gravity is more toward their heel. While a flatter foot would indicate pressure resides directly over the mid-foot, reducing the height of the arch due to the location of their center of gravity. The curvature associated with the arch is a response to global movement strategies.

Movement is a complex thing, the number of options are nearly innumerable. An understanding of simple laws that govern movement help identify how people move and what may be useful in managing pain or movement related issues. Curvature is one clue that provides a ton of information about the system, and how we may be able to intervene to produce change.

Austin Ulrich, Physical Therapist