Elegance and beauty of the body are shown in fluid and harmonious movements. A ballet dancer, for example, controls her body perfectly. She knows how to control her muscles so that each part of the body is brought into a structured image for the viewer. The entire body is directed to convey a statement, an interpretation without words. Grace can be experienced in geometric forms of the movements. All this is possible through body tension. However, it is not only elementary for complex movements but also for a healthy body in general.
What is the body tension?
Proper body tension makes us swim, climb or ride a horse, ski or play tennis. With the start of training to a sport begins the way to load the muscles evenly. Agonists and antagonists are also players and opponents within the muscles. In the muscles of the limbs, it is clear that after each action (lifting) follows a reaction (lowering, putting down). On the trunk, the muscles of the chest and abdomen are physiologically inseparable from those of the back. If the trunk is bent, it must be straightened again. If the person sits down, the upper body is held equally stable and thus vertical by the back and abdominal muscles. The forces from outside that threaten to twist the body are countered by a force. In strong winds, the body braces itself against this force. Reinforced by the clothing, the wind tears at the arms and legs. The body’s tension is responsible for ensuring that the person does not buckle or fall and at the same time does not let go of the bag, for example. Since man physiologically separated from his ancestors millions of years ago, his body tension has tried to stabilize him in an erect posture.
Function and task
More than 650 muscles move the body, mostly moving the bones, apart from the nostrils, earlobes or the frown, as well as the abdominal muscles. From the head to the toes, the muscles also determine the physiognomy of a person. An athlete, statistically speaking, shows a different appearance than a construction worker or an interior designer. All the muscles play together and show typical shapes. Sinewy legs vs. thick calves, thin neck vs. bull neck, stretched bony vs. bulging, always curved fingers indicate different body tensions. When at rest or resting, the above-mentioned groups of people have a specific basic tension of their muscle tissue, the tonus. The body adapts to habitual work, in a kind of ‘operating tension’ and imitates it also in rest phases. Behaviorally from our past, this can be explained by the following necessity: Stone Age people had to chase or escape game, ambush it, sneak up on it or pick berries from a greater height, soften skins and often sleep sitting up. A basic tension of the muscles always had to be present for safety reasons. The correct interaction of the muscles still allows the body to balance on the longboard as well as on the rope. With deft leg movements, a ballet dancer stays in the pirouette and escapes the danger of falling. The body has acquired the skill to intercept a movement (even a wrong one). The body tension is responsible for a successful accident prevention. The individual strands of a muscle are reached and traversed by nerves. They come either from the spinal cord, a switching point for initially unconscious reactions, or from the brain. Electric shocks are generated there and the muscles respond voluntarily with a previously considered movement. If consciousness is not impaired, such as stress or shock, the muscle responds adequately. Proper body tension allows us to swim, climb or ride a horse, ski or play tennis. With the start of training to a sport begins the way to load the muscles evenly. Staying in a push-up or alternately loading and stretching the arms and legs in a lateral support strengthens all the muscles in the trunk area. The newly gained body tension is able to correct possible misalignments of the spine. The discomfort generally decreases, tensions are released, headaches become less frequent, the body stretches. With the new appearance, self-esteem also grows.
Diseases and ailments
The pyramidal system in the brain controls the movements of mammals.In humans, it is particularly well developed and can be easily recognized from a dissected brainstem. If there is a malfunction in the transmission of stimuli, the neurons (nerves) switch insufficiently. The corresponding region of the targeted muscles tenses up. Tension with a different cause causes, for example, pain in the neck and shoulder area. One-sided posture, e.g. caused by an unfavorable position of the work object (screen at the wrong height), puts one-sided strain on the spine. Several factors can lead to the clinical picture of conversion disorder. Tension and permanent stress are to be mentioned here. In the intentional defense against the attacking stimuli, which are classified as dangerous, the body carries out a skip action. Instead of responding verbally, the body responds with a silent contraction. This can be a trigger for further shocks, anger, and deeply felt guilt. In the most difficult case, identity (what am I?) and motor skills (how do I move now?) drift completely apart. The patient makes movements that are completely inappropriate to the situation. More than half of all people suffer at least briefly from a psychosomatic disorder, also called somatoform disorder. Here, the resting tone increases to heights that allow pain to be felt. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which have been known in folk medicine since time immemorial, are based on incorrect, i.e. one-sided strain on the muscles. Tension and thus, for example, back pain are a consequence. If the muscles remain tense, soft tissue rheumatism threatens. Arthrosis in incorrectly loaded joints and herniated discs can also lead to chronic pain. Physiotherapeutic treatments in these cases point in the direction of regaining body tension.
