The foot as the starting point of the neuromuscular circuit
Dr Giuseppe Bortolin and Dr Rene J. Bourdiol discovered that overall body posture is closely linked to foot statics.
A normal foot has the mechanical effect of evenly distributing loads over the various segments of the spinal column and the various joints. A pathological foot, however, ultimately leads to faulty loading and overloading of the vertebrae, the intervertebral discs and the joints. As the connecting point between the body and the ground, the foot has the essential role in collecting and transmitting information on the nature and structure of the ground, and senses momentary changes in body balance.
Proceptor insoles thus act on the neuromuscular system by activating the receptors at the start of the neuromuscular circuit.
The insoles are made to individual prescription with a specific positioning of the proceptors. The proceptors are small elevations (1-3 mm) integrated into the insole in accordance with the individual's clinical picture. A thorough examination and a spinal scan are carried out in order to determine the required proceptor placement.
These proceptors stimulate the proprioreceptive structures in the soles of the feet to produce afferent signals. Various different structures are stimulated at the muscles (muscle spindles), tendons (Golgi tendon organ), skin (mechanoreceptors) and joints (joint receptors) as well as free nerve endings.
These proprioreceptors send excitatory or inhibitory impulses via afferent nerve tracts to certain muscles chains that are responsible for posture.
The "gamma loop" is the mechanism that allows muscles to perform "monosynaptic" proprioceptive reflexes involving receptors, such as muscle spindles and the Golgi tendon organ, and afferent and efferent nerve tracts.
The best-known monosynaptic proprioceptive reflex is the knee tendon reflex, also called the patellar reflex.
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Fig.: The gamma loop |
The main function of the muscle spindle is to provide the CNS (central nervous system) with feedback on a muscle's length, or - as a differential sensory organ - on changes in its position and tension. This feedback travels either along fast conducting fibres (Ia fibres) with a monosynaptic stretch reflex to the motor neurone directly via the spinal cord, or along slower return pathways of group II fibres to the central nervous system.
The Golgi tendon organs have the inverse function to the muscle spindle mechanism. The Golgi tendon organ senses the tension on the muscle and, when there is excessive stretching of the tendon, it has an inhibitory effect on the motor neurone, making the muscle relax.
The antagonistic effect of these two proprioceptors enables a balance in muscle tension to be maintained.
The mechanoreceptors in the skin and the joint receptors also have an important function in postural control. They send information on the position of the joints or signal pressure and tension.
A central controlling mechanism constantly receives and assesses all proprioceptive feedback impulses. It acts to adjust them and adapt to the situation. Thus there exists a communication system consisting of many individual systems. It combines proprioception with other sensory perceptions, such as spatial vision, hearing and balance.
The connections between the foot muscles and brain areas linked to posture:
The research work by Dr Bourdiol and Dr Bortolin established the existence of direct connections from the foot muscles to various areas of the cerebellum.
For example, the archicerebellum, which processes inputs from the body's main balance organ (the vestibular system), is connected to the short flexor and the adductor of the big toe.
In addition, there is a connection from the paleocerebellum to the abductors of the little and big toes and to the toe flexors. The paleocerebellum is the functional centre for postural control and has major connections to the spinal cord and the peripheral muscle spindles.
Another important brain area for posture and locomotion is the neocerebellum. It forms the link between the cerebellum and the motor cortex and between the cerebellum and the spinal cord. This area regulates the muscular synergy between the agonists and antagonists. The various inputs it receives from proprioceptive, exteroceptive and cortical afferents and its outputs to the motor neurones and the motor cortex lead to the adjustment of cortical impulses to the state of the muscle concerned at any one time. The neocerebellum has a connection to the central muscle layer of the sole of the foot, specifically to the m. lumbricales and the m. quadratus plantae.
Due to the system linking the foot muscles to various areas of the brain, stimuli acting on the proprioceptors of the foot result in the activation of muscle chains that are essential for an upright posture.
These muscle chains can be divided into an extensor chain and a flexor chain.
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The postural muscles
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The extensor chain extends from the long and short toe extensors, continuing along the anterior tibial muscle, the posterior ischio-tibial muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus), the muscle group psoas major-iliacus-pectineus (anterior), the erector muscles of the back and up to the scalene muscles (anterior).
The flexor chain begins at the plantar flexors and includes the triceps surae (posterior), the quadriceps (anterior), the gluteal muscles (posterior), muscles of the abdominal wall, especially the straight and oblique muscles (anterior) and extends up to the semispinalis capitis (posterior).
The stimulation of these muscle chains returns the body to an upright posture, allowing the postural muscles to efficiently fulfil their function again, having previously been in an adverse position, due poor posture. This takes the load off other muscles, which the previous posture had forced to work against gravity.
Publications by Dr René J- BourdiolORIGINALILLUSTRATIONEN:
C. GUYOT - R. J. BOURDIOL.
“Les structures neuro-anatomiques du comportement réactionnel: Le Prosphérencéphale” - Thèse de Doctorat en Médicine: Médaille d’Argent de la Faculté - Paris 1961.
Maisonneuve editeur:
Traité d’Acupuncture (1970).
Médecine Manuelle et Ceinture Scapulaire (1972).
Traité‚ d’Irido-Diagnostic (1975).
Loci Auriculo-Medicinae (1977).
Les Dysmorphies Podo-Somatiques (1979).
Pied et Statique (1980).
Eléments d’Auriculothérapie (1980).
L’Auriculo-Somatologie (1981).
Réflexothérapie Somatique (1983).
L’Esthétique Réfléchie (1984).
Homéopathie et Réflexologie (1985). Translated into Italian (Ipsa Editore).
Somatotopia Autozeugopodale Inferior, 2 planches murales (1985).
Podo-Rèflexo-Cinésiologie (1986).
Neurothérapie Céphalique Réflexe (1987).
Iono-Négativo-Thérapie (1988). Translated into English.
Edition SIMEP:
Neurothérapie du rachis cervical supérieur, Atlas-Axis, (1992).
Editions du ROCHER:
Les voiles de l’au-delà... (1992).
Comment lire votre analyse de sang (1995).
La Puissance de l’Esprit (1995).
Edition Gemmer Italia:
Bourdiol-Bortolin Cefalee Emicranie 2000.
ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS:
C. GUYOT - R. J. BOURDIOL.
Dr Giuseppe BORTOLIN (SURGEON)
Publications
Ha pubblicato, ad esclusivo utilizzo dei membri del Gemmer Italia e degli allievi dei vari insegnamenti, le seguenti sue ricerche originali (ultima edizione):
He has published the following original research studies for the exclusive use of Gemmer Italia members and their students from various training backgrounds (most recent editions):
Sede del Gruppo di Ricerca GEMMER ITALIA:
via Prade, 2 31040 GUIA-VALDOBBIADENE (TV)
Vox et Fax +39 0423 900376 – E. mail gemmerit@tin.it
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