The Effects of Mechanical Load on Soft Tissue

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The Effects of Mechanical Load on Soft Tissue By: Kurt E. Eckard Independent Studies Bio400 2 Credit Hours Instructor: Mr. John McGlaughlin June 9th, 2012 The Official Statement: “I reaffirm my commitment to the honor code and confirm that I understand what plagiarism is and have not plagiarized nor have I received any unauthorized aid on this academic work.” Signed__________________________________________ Kurt. E. Eckard For many years, people have known about the use of manual therapies such as massage and chiropractic as an alternative form of health care and/or a complement to allopathic medicine. As the cost of health care continues to rise and the Federal government continues to implement a national health care program, more and more people are looking towards cost efficient health care for the management of pain. Everyone knows that getting a massage or seeing a chiropractor for therapeutic reasons makes us feel better eventually, but what exactly is the effect that manual therapies have on the body, specifically on the bodies’ connective tissues. All connective tissue in the body are made up primarily of collagen bundles with varying mechanical characteristics, based on how they are arranged and the proportion of them in relation to the rest of the basic constituents making up that particular tissue. Homeostasis is a self regulating biological mechanism involving feedback where the response to a stimulus alters the internal conditions and may itself become a new stimulus.(1) The human body is in a constant chemical, structural, and functional battle to maintain homeostasis. These adaptations are a direct correlation to the lifestyle choices and are usually beneficial but can have physiological complications as well. Chiropractors must consider these homeostatic patterns in the musculoskeletal realm to best
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