POSTURAL REFLEXES H - Alexander Technique

1 Alexander Technique scientific briefing THE ROLE OF THE POSTURAL REFLEXES in HEALTH AND WELL-BEING Gerald Foley DRAFT 11 July 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: BACKGROUND ..3 Charles Sherrington and Rudolph Charles Sherrington .. 3 Rudolph Magnus .. 4 What is a reflex?..5 The question of posture ..7 SECTION 2: MAGNUS RESEARCH ..8 The research approach ..8 The vestibular apparatus .. 9 Magnus 10 Reflex Normal distribution of 11 Attitude .. 11 The righting REFLEXES .. 14 The optical righting REFLEXES ..15 A central nervous 17 SECTION 3: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POSTURAL 20 Outside conscious 20 Continually recalibrating the 22 Co-opting and modifying the POSTURAL REFLEXES .. 24 Consequences of suppressing the POSTURAL REFLEXES ..25 SECTION 4: THE HEAD-NECK 28 Physiology of the head-neck 28 The sub-occipital A problem of 30 Effects of chronic excessive tension in the head-neck 31 SECTION 5: THE Alexander Technique .

2 34 Origins of the Alexander Technique ..35 What did Alexander discover? .. 36 How does the Alexander Technique work? .. 38 Other scientific perspectives .. 40 Raymond Dart ..40 George Ellett 45 1 INTRODUCTION If all the activity of the human body s six hundred skeletal muscles were consciously controlled, very little would get done. Despite its enormous computing capacity, the brain would not be able to handle the task of evaluating all the possible ways of carrying out every action and deciding on the best one. The marvellous speed, versatility and flexibility of human activity is only possible because most of it relies on reflex muscle actions. Although modern neurophysiology enjoys access to increasingly precise and sophisticated measuring tools so that nowadays the functioning of individual neurons is readily monitored, understanding of the overall behaviour of the neuromuscular system is still based to a surprising extent on the insights of the early pioneers of neuroscience.

3 Sir Charles Sherrington s 1906 work, The integrative action of the nervous system, is regarded as the founding text of modern neuroscience and is largely devoted to the working of the innate reflex systems of the vertebrate animal. Within that framework, Sherrington s contemporary, and prot g , Rudolph Magnus, an almost certain Nobel prize-winner were it not for his sudden early death, devoted his research talents to elucidating the POSTURAL REFLEXES . The best part of a century later, their neurological discoveries and insights retain most of their freshness and relevance. The work of these and other early neuroscientists looked at the overall patterns of neuromuscular functioning in vertebrates.

4 The special concern of this paper is the relevance of this neuroscientific work to human beings. The POSTURAL REFLEXES are not solely concerned with the way we sit and stand. When these REFLEXES are allowed to do their job properly, they automatically bring about a smooth and harmonious integration of the different parts of the body in all its activities. When they are prevented from working as they should, the functioning of the whole musculature deteriorates, leading to localised joint and muscle problems as well as damaging effects on our physical and psychological health. In the present-day flood of new and detailed knowledge at the disposal of those concerned with health, fitness, and well-being the need for an integrated view of what is happening in the total neuromuscular system is often overlooked.

5 Fitness programmes and exercise regimes tend to focus on the closely-identified deficiencies of particular body areas and muscle groups. Back and shoulder pains, weak knees and ankles, stiffening hip joints and the general aches and injuries of ordinary living are treated with rubs, supports, painkillers, and programmes of strengthening exercises without taking into account the larger-scale POSTURAL malfunctioning which inevitably accompanies these specific problems. This paper provides a background briefing on the neuroscience of the POSTURAL REFLEXES and explores the relevance of this for the care and maintenance of the overall neuromuscular system. It looks particularly at the role of the head-neck relationship which was highlighted by Magnus and Sherrington and has been the subject of much subsequent study.

6 Malfunctioning in the head-neck area, as any experienced physical therapist will attest, is implicated in a range of ailments from tension-headaches to flat feet. Section 1 gives a brief introduction to the careers and work of Sir Charles Sherrington and Rudolph Magnus whose neurological research and findings are the main topic of this paper; it also provides some definitions and background on the terms reflex and 2 posture. Section 2 examines Magnus research findings in some detail. Section 3 attempts to weave together a broader perspective on the significance of the POSTURAL REFLEXES in the overall functioning of the neuromuscular system. Section 4 examines some of the scientific work that has been subsequently carried out on the head-neck relationship the importance of which was highlighted by Magnus.

7 This section draws particularly on the proceedings of an international symposium on the head-neck sensory motor system held in Paris in 1991 at which over two hundred papers were presented. Section 5 looks at the Alexander Technique . F. M. Alexander , an Australian actor, who was a near contemporary of Sherrington s came to London in 1904. While developing a method of dealing with his own voice problems, he had himself become aware of the importance of the head-neck relationship in neuromuscular functioning He referred to it as the primary control making it a central concern in what has become known as the Alexander Technique . In his last book, Sherrington explicitly praises Alexander and his approach.

8 The final section therefore examines the Alexander Technique through what might be called a Sherringtonian or Magnusian lens. Alexander was no neuroscientist, and there is no record of him ever using the phrase POSTURAL reflex . But he was a shrewd and meticulous observer and the key aspects of his Technique fit readily within, and are illuminated by, the work of Magnus and Sherrington. This section also looks at some scientific observations on the Technique made by the anatomist and paleo-anthropologist Raymond Dart and the developmental biologist George Ellett Coghill based on their personal experience with Alexander and his writings. The paper is addressed to healthcare professionals, Alexander Technique teachers, experienced pupils in the Technique and others interested in the neuroscience behind muscle and joint functioning, exercise and physical fitness.

9 3 SECTION 1: BACKGROUND Understanding of the nervous system began to grow rapidly from the middle of the 19th century. Charles Sherrington s experimental studies during the 1890s resulted in some of the key scientific breakthroughs but it was his master-work The integrative action of the nervous system published in 1906 which synthesised what had gone before and created the still-existing framework of modern neuroscience. Rudolph Magnus, taking inspiration from Sherrington, began work on the POSTURAL REFLEXES in 1908 and produced the definitive study of their functioning in 1924. To discuss either reflex and posture without defining them is inviting trouble. Both words are so encrusted with popular impressions that hardly any two people would agree on what exactly they mean by them.

10 The following discussion is not an attempt to lay down the law on what these terms should mean. It is simply to clarify from the beginning how they are used in this paper. Charles Sherrington and Rudolph Magnus These two distinguished scientists share the common fate of many great pioneers in their subjects. Their work defined the territory and became so widely and deeply taken for granted that people no longer refer to their original contribution. As this paper is specifically concerned with their findings on the POSTURAL REFLEXES , it is worth putting their findings into context by giving a brief account of their careers. Charles Sherrington Sherrington was born in 1857. A bright student, he qualified as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1884 and obtained a medical degree from Cambridge University in 1885.