Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Today on BioPilates Deep Dive, we are going to talk about a reformer exercise that at first glance may seem relatively simple, the elephant, and more specifically, the elephant round back. But as is so often the case in Pilates, when we really look at what is happening inside the body, the exercise becomes much more complex and much more interesting. In the elephant round back, we are going to focus particularly on the on hip flexion and extension, and on two muscles that are especially important in this region, the psoas major and the rectus femoris. Let's begin with the starting position. We are standing on the carriage with the feet against the shoulder rests. The hands are holding the foot bar, generally in position number one. We work with one or two springs. The spine is flexed. The pelvis remains positioned over the feet as much as possible. The ankles are dorsiflexed and the hands apply controlled pressure into the foot bar. The shoulder blades should remain stabilized against the rib cage. The arms are slightly bent with the elbows angled backward. And most importantly, we are looking for this very important sensation, drawing the back of the pelvis toward the back of the femurs. From this position, inhale. Stabilize the torso. shoulder girdle and arms, then extend the hips to push the carriage backward. The pelvis should not travel with the carriage. This is fundamental. We want to create the movement at the hip joints while maintaining the shape of the spine, then exhale. Keep the spine flexed and flex the hips to bring the feet back underneath the pelvis, allowing the carriage to return. This is where the hip flexors become particularly interesting. Let's begin with the psoas major. The psoas major is a deep muscle. Its proximal attachments are located along the lumbar spine on the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs, and transverse processes of the lumbar region. It then descends through the pelvis, joins the iliacus, and inserts through the iliopsoas tendon onto the lesser trochanter of the femur. Its innervation comes from the anterior rami. of the lumbar nerves, primarily L1 to L3. When the torso is stabilized, the psoas major contributes powerfully to hip flexion, but its role is much more complex than that of a simple hip flexor. Because it directly connects the lumbar spine to the femur, its activity is intimately associated with lumbopelvic control. It can contribute to stabilization of the hip and the lumbopelvic region And. and its action depends on what is stabilized and what is allowed to move. This is exactly what makes the elephant so interesting. As the carriage returns underneath the pelvis, we want true hip flexion, not simply to move the pelvis forward or lose the shape of the spine. The femurs need to move within the hip joints while the torso remains organized. The psoas then contributes to bringing the carriage back in, together with the other hip flexors. But we need to be careful about a common anatomical misconception. We sometimes hear the psoas major described as a biarticular muscle. This is not quite the same situation as with the rectus femoris. The psoas does indeed have relationships with several vertebral segments and crosses the hip region, so it can influence the lumbar spine. pelvis and femur. But when we classically refer to a biarticular muscle of the limbs, we mean a muscle that crosses two distinct joints and can produce or control movement at each of them. And this is where our second muscle provides a perfect example, the rectus femoris. The rectus femoris is part of the quadriceps. Unlike the three vasti, which act only on the knee, the rectus femoris crosses two joints, the hip and the knee. It is therefore truly a biarticular muscle. It originates from the anterior inferior iliac spine and the region above the acetabulum. It travels down the anterior aspect of the thigh and joins the quadriceps tendon, the patella, and then, through the patella ligament, the tibial tuberosity, it is innervated by the femoral nerve, primarily through the L- 2, L3, and L4 nerve roots. Its two main actions perfectly reflect its biarticular nature. At the hip, it contributes to flexion. At the knee, it contributes to extension. Precisely because it crosses two joints, its length and mechanical efficiency depend simultaneously on the position of both the hip and the knee. Now look at our elephant. The knees remain extended or very close to extension, while the hips alternate between extension and flexion. This places the rectus femoris in a very particular situation. As we push the carriage backward and increase hip extension. femoris is lengthened proximally at the hip. At the same time, however, the knee remains extended, which influences its length at its distal end. This is precisely what makes a biarticular muscle so interesting. We can never analyze its behavior by looking at only one joint. We have to look at both. As we then bring the carriage back in, the hip flexors work concentrically to bring the femurs underneath the pelvis. but the movement must remain extremely precise. The pelvis should not simply be projected forward in order to close the angle at the hip. The abdominal muscles must continue to organize the position of the torso. The transverse abdominis contributes to abdominal compression and lumbopelvic stability, while the obliques and rectus abdominis contribute isometrically to maintaining flexion of the torso. Meanwhile, the hip extensors work concentrically as the carriage moves away and then eccentrically control the return, while the hip flexors actively contribute to bringing the carriage back in. And this is where the elephant becomes much more than simply moving the carriage. Imagine that your spine maintains its shape, that the pelvis remains organized over the feet, and that the femoral heads move deeply within the hip joints. The carriage moves away because the hips open. It returns because they close. It is not the back that pushes the carriage. It is not the pelvis traveling forward and backward. It is primarily movement at the hip joints that creates the mobility while the rest of the body provides the stability required to support that movement. Let's not forget the feet. The ankles are dorsiflexed and the feet remain in contact with the shoulder rests. We are working in a closed kinetic chain, and the organization of the entire lower kinetic chain influences the quality of the movement. And let's not forget the shoulders either. The hands are pressing into the foot bar, but we do not want to collapse into the shoulders. The shoulder blades remain controlled against the ribcage without excessive rigidity, and the arms provide a stable point of support while the carriage moves underneath the body. Finally, the... breath accompanies this organization. Inhale to stabilize and push the carriage away into hip extension. Exhale to maintain the abdominal connection and bring the carriage back through hip flexion. Ultimately, the elephant round back allows us to observe something fundamental in Pilates. Mobility only makes sense when it is organized around stability. The psoas major reminds us of the deep relationship between the femur. pelvis, and lumbar spine. The rectus femoris reminds us that a muscle can cross two joints and that its behavior can therefore never be fully understood by looking at a single joint in isolation. See you very soon for another episode of Biopilates Deep Dive.