Anatomy Misconceptions

1. There is no hip bone.

The hip is a joint, or the place where two bones interface. In the case of the hip joints, the bones in question are the pelvis and the femur (thigh bone). When people fall and break their “hip”, they typically break the femur. The neck of the femur (the space just below the “ball” or “head” of this leg bone), or just below, is where fracture or breaks happen most frequently.

2. There is no shoulder bone.

The term “shoulders” refers to a general area about the top of the arm. The actual anatomical term for this point is the glenohumeral joint. This joint is made up of the arm bone and the shoulder blade (scapula). Also part of the shoulder girdle are the clavicles (for more on how the clavicles should be aligned, read this -- click), which connect the sternum to the scapulae. Because there are so many bones in the upper body, this area is way more complicated than the lower, I think. When alignment here is off, it affects breathing, neck and shoulder girdle pain, upper body strength...

But when it’s working, it feels awesome!

3. You don’t have “carpal tunnel,” you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

You’ve got carpal tunnel? So do I! EVERYONE has a carpal tunnel. It’s the space or tunnel among the wrist bones (carpals), muscle, fascia and other tissues through which the hands and brain communicate, via the medial nerve.

If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, then your space has narrowed, placing excessive pressure on the median nerve running through it. The tunnel space is reduced by wrist position, swelling of the tunnel contents, or by tension in the forearm and hand muscles.

This is why your wrists should not look “broken” when using your computer:

but should stay in alignment with the forearms, like this:

Remind me to wax my hands later.

Tense hands and arms? Try my My Hands Hurt for five stretches to help open up the tunnel again.

4. You don’t have TMJ, you have a TMJ Disorder.

You’ve got TMJ? So do I! TMJ stands for temporal (the bony plate on the side of the face that runs under the temple to about the level of your cheeks) mandibular (the mandible is the jaw bone -- mandere in Latin, "to chew") joint (where these two bones interact).

Everyone has a temporalmandibular joint. It comes in handy if you talk and eat a lot like I do 🙂

As with carpal tunnel syndrome, space in the joint narrows, causing excessive friction, inflammation, and pain. Tight scalp, face, neck, and shoulder muscles all make temporalmandibular joint disorder worse, as does stress, which can lead to jaw clenching.

Solution: Spring for a weekly upper body massage session. Many times you can find a $15 for 15 minutes chair massage deal. Massage is accumulative, so maybe try three times a week for a couple weeks to see if you notice a difference. If you do, then it’s just muscle tension, baby. Fix it.

5. There aren’t any arches in your feet.

You should have the shape of an arch in your feet, yes, but if you cut your feet open, it’s not like there’s a fixed anatomical part that is shaped like an arch.

The shape of the arch is created by healthy tone the many muscles of the foot, pulling bones here and there until the arch is intact. So, no arches? Just work on strengthening the small intrinsic muscles of the feet until you start seeing the glimmer of a shape.

6. Men have pelvic floor muscles too.

Really, they do. And when the pelvis, hip, and sacrum are not in alignment, they get pelvic floor disorders just like the ladies. So men, do a search on past blog posts for finding neutral pelvis when you are sitting and standing.

7. The Adam’s apple isn’t really an apple.

Just in case you thought it was. It isn’t.