![]() ![]() ![]() This is the stretch reflex in action (in combination with structures in the inner ear that control balance). In order to help you maintain balance, your brain triggers muscle action in the calf and ankle when you start to pitch forward, righting your stance. You’ll notice that you sway forward and back slightly. ![]() Try this: Stand up with your feet under your hips and eyes closed. ![]() If the muscle is stretched too far, the muscle can’t recoil and instead you are forced to take a step forward to prevent from falling. In the example of standing on a bus that moves when you’re not expecting it, you’ll notice that you lean forward and then right yourself. In these instances, a reaction called the stretch reflex recoils muscles that have been stretched as a result of a perturbation. The rubber band/muscle metaphor is great in describing the body’s response to perturbations (such as the bus moving forward when you’re not ready for it, someone handing you something that you think is heavy but is actually light, being bumped into, etc). Muscles have two main jobs: generating power and responding to “perturbations”. Using this metaphor, if you continuously stretch your muscles beyond their maximum range of motion (ROM), eventually they will stay stretched out…. When you stretch a rubber band, it usually returns to its normal size if you continuously pull it beyond the maximum that it can be stretched, the rubber band stays stretched out. Teachers often use the image of a rubber band to describe muscles. ![]()
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