From the extracellular matrix to posture. Is the connective system our true Deus ex machina?

Edited by Dr. Giovanni Chetta

Breech support

As the Viennese architect, painter and philosopher, F. Hundertwasser, il flat ground it is not suitable and healthy for men. And as the French physiotherapist F. Mezieres correctly added, lumbar hyperloodosis is always primary (Godelieve, 1995). In fact, humans usually react to the flat ground by creating a lumbar hyperlordosis through the strong ileus muscle.

psoas (Myers, 2001). It can be of 2 types, as "it is possible to verify by analyzing the radiographs in the sagittal plane (in the absence of analgesic attitudes):
A) concentrated on the last lumbar vertebrae with the upper part tending to straightness;
B) "spread" along the entire lumbar tract (Pacini, 2000).
This alteration affects, like a "wave, the whole body (occlusion included) and is compensated posturally in a completely personal way.

"The flat floor is an" invention of the architects. It is suitable for machines - not humans.
People have not only eyes to enjoy the beauty they see, ears to listen to melodies and a nose to smell pleasant scents. People also have a sense of touch in their hands and feet.
If modern man is forced to walk on asphalt and concrete floors, as they are recklessly designed in designer offices, estranged from the primordial relationship and contact with the earth, a crucial part of it withers and dies. This has catastrophic consequences for the "soul," balance, well-being and human health. Man forgets how to experience new things and becomes emotionally ill.
An irregular and animated pavement is the reconquest of the "mental equilibrium" of man, of the dignity of man, which has been violated in our "leveling", unnatural and hostile urban network system.
The irregular floor becomes a symphony, a melody for the feet and brings the natural vibrations back to man.
Architecture must elevate and not subdue man. It is "good to walk on uneven floors and regain our human balance", F. Hundertwasser (April 1991).

Occlusion and stomatognathic apparatus

There head, with its 4-6 kg in an adult, it represents the heaviest body extremity. Furthermore, the cranio-cervico-mandibular unit cannot but possess a proprioceptive system of very high efficiency and sensitivity given the enormous vital importance of the organs and structures contained in it. Its incorrect alignment, on any level, caused by stomatognathic and / or extrastomatognathic problems (descending and / or ascending), inevitably determines mechanical and reflex postural compensations that affect, in various degrees, the whole body.
The two mandibular hemi-arches (right and left) together with the cervical vertebra (atlas) constitute the "tripod" on which the skull rests every time the teeth come into contact with each other (swallowing, chewing, etc.). It is thanks to this stable temporary support that our balance system, through the neurosensory receptors and the myofascial system, keeps the head in suspension. The vertical occlusal dimension is therefore a particularly critical parameter for correct cranial alignment and, consequently, for the health of the organism in general (Formia, 2009).
In addition to this it should be remembered that the language together with the foot it represents the most important morpho-functional conformator. In fact, lingual functionality directly influences mandibular and maxillary growth and the morphogenesis of the dental arches. Eg. an early use of the bottle as well as a malposition of the head can alter the functionality of the 17 lingual muscles (Ferrante, 2004).
Finally, it should be noted the existence of a small area (approx. 1 sq cm), called the "spot point" or "lingual spot", located between the base of the upper central incisors and the first palatine wrinkle, rich in terminal exteroceptors of the nasal nerve. palatine (branch of the trigeminal nerve) involved in the mechanism of postural information (Halata & Baumann, 1999). In physiological conditions, the tongue rests on the palate in a state of rest while during the swallowing act its anterior end rests precisely on the "spot point" thus carrying out a sort of postural reprogramming (which can be altered in the event of atypical swallowing). It is the same process of reprogramming, of reconvergence between man and environment that takes place at every step thanks to the foot.
The dysfunctions of the stomatognathic apparatus and of the breech support are therefore linked to a double thread and affect our posture in an important way, therefore our entire health.

Health re-education

The study of posture becomes more and more important within a society that pushes man to live in habitats and lifestyles that are not natural, therefore not very physiological. In fact, posture is increasingly implicated in many musculoskeletal and organic problems. There posturology thus it is inevitably found to be a multidisciplinary science that embraces numerous branches of medicine and technology. The professional collaboration between the various specialists, the technological evolution, the advancement of scientific research on the extracellular matrix and connective tissues, are the cornerstones of progress in this fascinating and multifaceted subject.

Conclusions

What is outside the cell is as important as what is inside and inseparable from it.
We are a "structuring function", neuro-biomechanically oscillating swirling, in dynamic equilibrium, between connective tissue and muscles.
The functional alteration, therefore its re-education is decisive. Control and functionality of the articular hinges and in particular of the pelvis represent the critical parameters. These parameters must always be verified (in a precise and quantifiable way that is comparable over time) regardless of the approach used in postural re-education. Considering the results obtained only in a specific body region (eg stomatognathic system or breech support) without examining the effects on the entire posture, involves the serious risk of moving the problem to another body region.