As discussed in past articles, human movement is much like a puppet show. The marionette performs the functions of the bones, the muscles are the strings and the puppeteer is the nervous system. We cannot move a muscle without the nervous system working in proper order. In this article, we’ll learn how to improve brain and nerve health, and help prevent spinal injuries.
The nervous system, our puppet master, is a complex and mysterious character. Our knowledge of bones and muscles far outweighs our knowledge of the brain and nervous system. The brain alone contains over 100 billion nerve cells. It controls how we interpret sights, sounds, feelings, tastes and smell. It controls our balance, and both voluntary and involuntary movements. The brain is the boss and the nerves are a great span of managers. The nervous system, if taken out of a single body and placed in a straight line, would wrap around the earth two and a half times.
Powerful though the nervous system may be, the brain and nerves are extremely delicate, and difficult to fix when broken.
Anatomy
The brain seizes control of the body through 43 pairs of nerves that connect the brain to the rest of the body. 12 pairs of nerves in the brain control sight, smell, hearing, taste and thought. The base of the brain connects to the spinal cord, which snakes inside the spine and reaches from the skull to the end of the torso. The spinal cord connects to the remaining 31 pairs of nerves, linking the body to the brain.
The spine is divided into cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine. A pair of nerves, one on each side, branches off between vertebrae. The nerves continue dividing until they infiltrate each muscle, every piece of skin and monitor the health of every cell.
Each set of nerves monitor and control different parts of the body. The cervical spine (C1 through C8) in the neck controls the chest, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. The thoracic spine (T1 through T12) lies in the middle of the back. The 12 nerves branching from the thoracic spine control the intercostals muscles of the ribs, the deep back and abdominal muscles. The lumbar spine (L1 through L5) is located in the lower back. These nerve pairs control the gluteus muscles, hamstring, calf, ankle and foot muscles. The fused sacral spine (S1 through S5) sends nerve pairs from the tailbone to the quadriceps, the skin of the legs and feet and genitals.
The nerve pairs communicate with each other, send messages to the brain and execute orders given by the brain. An example is if an individual accidentally places a hand on a hot stove. The sensory receptors (nerve endings) send information to the brain (in this case, pain). The brain then decides the proper response, which is to move the hand off the hot stove.
Often, individuals with spinal nerve injuries do not feel much pain in the spine. Perhaps the most commonly injured nerve is the sciatic nerve in the lumbar spine. Individuals may feel awful pain in the hip and hamstring (above and behind the knee). After ruling out possible injuries to the hip and/or hamstrings muscles, doctors know to then look for injuries in the nerves that control these areas.
Physiology
The 31 spinal nerves provide a connection for the brain to activate movement. The brain communicates with the muscles through mechanoreceptors. When a joint begins movement, the mechanoreceptors send feedback to the brain regarding speed of movement, limb position and resistance encountered.
If an individual picks up a pencil, the mechanoreceptors feel the pencil and tell the brain how many muscle fibers need to contract in order to pick up the pencil. The same can be said for a barbell with 100 pounds on it. The mechanoreceptors send the sensory information from the muscles to the spinal cord and then the brain. The brain then sends a motor (kinetic) response, and the response is to contract as many muscles as possible, and as fast as possible, to move the weight. The motor response orders the muscles to fire in an ‘all or none’ manner. If an object is too heavy to move, the muscles lose the ability to contract.
When an individual begins a new strength training program, most strength gains made in the first four to six weeks are not improvements in muscle, but improvements in the nervous system. This process is known as motor learning. A novice exerciser becomes stronger when the nerves improve the ability to fire muscles quickly and recruit more muscles to help with movement.
Learning how to improve a movement is not very much different than learning multiplication tables. The first time an individual attempts to swing a golf club and hit a ball, the ball doesn’t go where we want it. We must repeat the movement over and over. The body learns internally through the communication between body parts, over the course of repetition, and with external coaching.
With each successive swing, the nervous system absorbs internal and external coaching. It becomes better at planning the movement. The nervous system will begin to remember what muscles to contract, relax and stabilize, and in what order. The movement improves with each swing until the motion becomes automatic (like studying multiplication tables until the answers are memorized). Unfortunately, motor learning does not ensure an individual becomes good at golf.
Prevention
Spinal injuries can be catastrophic. If the spinal cord tears, it ceases communication between the brain and body. Muscles, skin and bones heal quickly because they receive significant blood flow. The nerves do not directly receive blood flow, making them slow to heal and opening the possibility that they may never heal.
The nervous system becomes injured by hard knocks to the brain, impact to the spine and when the spine becomes out of alignment. Ruptured discs pinch nerves, which causes tremendous pain. Long-term injuries to the spine weaken communication between the brain and body.
Understanding how the brain controls movement helps individuals prevent spinal injuries. When an individual attempts to move a heavy object, such as furniture, the movement needs to be planned before lifting. Do not allow the back to round when strength training or during everyday life movements. Training conditions us for everyday life. In a week of strength training, each individual should perform squat, bend, lunge, push, pull and twist movements. These types of exercises translate well into everyday life.
Lastly, use common sense. One careless mistake has for far too many individuals, changed a life forever.
Ken Kashubara earned a BSBA from the University of Pittsburgh along with four varsity letters. He has now furthered his wellness knowledge by earning Personal Training certificates from both the American Council on Exercise and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, which he puts to good use through his writing for Greenmaple Wellness Inc, and his Kash Personal Training business, where he now leads others to better health.
Ken is also a regular contributor to the Fitness Town Health & Wellness On-line E-zine. For more great articles like this one, please visit here and sign-up to receive our free newsletter once per month.
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This is the best article I have ever come across. This give complete idea about nurvous system which I want.