English 250
Matt Beth
The image that I chose is a diagram of a strand of muscle,
which is intended for anyone in the medical field or anyone who intends to be. It
shows the viewer just what a major muscle group is composed of, what each
individual part looks like as well as labeling all the parts to educate the
viewer on such things. I found this image on a website called medicallook.com
which is dedicated to breaking down the human anatomy and its various ailments
into easier information to understand. Medicallook.com is updated often and has
been updated already in 2014, keeping the information up to date and current.
In the diagram, all the major parts are displayed and
labeled. The image includes a bone, a tendon and the actual muscle, which is
sliced in half to show the various fibers, blood vessels and bundles with their
respective connective tissues within the muscle. An easier way to think of this
is by thinking about a long strand of muscle, a bicep for example. Within that
single strand, there are multiple more strands called muscle bundles, which are
wrapped in connective tissue. Within these bundles are more strands, which are
called muscle fibers, each of which are also wrapped in their own connective
tissue.
As a physical therapist, clearly I have to know a lot
about the human anatomy. My job will always revolve around know the in depth
knowledge and manipulation of the human body. Muscle and tendon issues are
arguably the most common problems that physical therapists have to treat. Because
of this, diagrams such as the one from this site become incredibly useful in
understanding the client’s infirmities. For example, a muscle strain or sprain
is the over extension or tearing of the either the tendon or the muscle fibers,
both of which are displayed in the diagram.
I feel this picture as a whole, represents the common core
of all physical therapists, and any medical professional for that matter.
Within this relatively simple picture, you can derive so much information. You
can tell what a proper muscle should look like, the function of each piece of
the muscle, certain issues that could result with the muscle and so much more,
as long as you know what to look for. This is very similar to any medical profession,
especially physical therapy. As a physical therapist, you’re not always given a
clear idea of what exactly is wrong with your patient and furthermore, how to
best treat them. For example, a patient may come in, complaining they have
sharp pain in their lower back. Generally the person wont have any physical
signs of the injury on the surface level and the physical therapist will then
have to feel with his hands and take in situational information to properly
diagnose the person. Thus, each physical therapist has to draw upon what they
already know and look for the tiny details to decipher the true implications of
the person’s ailment, much like how one must take in all the small details in
the picture to know the total amount of information that it provides.
So how do you find these tiny bits
of information for the diagram? Well certain parts are easier than others.
Clearly it shows how a normal muscle should look, fibers making bundles, which
make the entire muscle. That doesn’t take a whole lot of thinking. But the
functions and possible injuries take a little more work and a bit of background
knowledge. The functions of the fibers and bundles are to contract and relax
for muscle movement, made simple by the shape and positioning of each strand.
The formation of these is also precise to strengthen and protect the muscle.
This info can be derived based off of inference and prior knowledge on the
subject matter, much like how a physical therapist performs their work (by
inference and prior knowledge). Figuring our possible injuries is found the
same way. If these fibers we to be severed or over extended, the muscle will
not be able to contract and function as it is supposed to. Injuries such as
these are what we know as sprains and strains.
As a whole, I feel like this diagram
of a muscle not only pertains to my future career field but also represents my
future profession as a whole. A lot of information can be derived from this
single image, which runs parallel to the techniques physical therapists must
use to successfully do their jobs.
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