20 Time Final Post

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5vyTB66hY8&list=PLXVa0vGCksTaQxb0DUCUENbC9LuWRDKTr&index=21


I thought our Ted Talk went very well. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and I was a little nervous. But the presentation went very smoothly and I was happy with it. I don't think I would change anything. All three of us deserve an A because we all split time evenly, spoke clearly and confidently, and were prepared for the Ted Talk. I was very impressed with everyone's Ted Talk. Everyone was confident and spoke concisely, and that really surprised me. I liked the Ted Talk assignment much more than just a written final for the semester.

River Cleanup

The river cleanup was a great experience. I had never done one before so I wasn't really sure what to expect. When we got there, I was glad to see that they provided gloves and pick-up sticks. We started walking along the river bank picking up trash, separating out recyclables. It was very eye opening to me to see how much litter there actually is. It seemed everywhere we looked there was an empty chip bag or a crushed soda can. I definitely will be more self conscious about making sure to throw things away and to properly recycle items. At the end, Mr. Saffine dropped off some popsicles for us :)

20 Time Reflection

When this project was first introduced I had no idea where to start. No project ideas were coming to my mind and I wasn't really sure what to do. Luckily, Tyler and Niko had felt the same exact way that I did so we decided to work together. But we still didn't have a project plan. Then, Mr. Orre came up to us and recommended that we do something either football or weightlifting related. He mentioned that we could do something to help incoming 8th graders get some time and experience in the weight room before they come to high school. So Tyler, Niko, and I decided to hold a skills and weight training camp at redwood for all boys planning on playing football. However, after talking to Coach Lugo we realized we needed all sorts of permits and waivers so holding a camp was no longer a realistic option. So, after brainstorming on what we could do instead, we agreed that an Instagram account with videos and photos on certain drills and workouts could be possible. The first step was to create the account and follow as many Redwood students as possible. Then we uploaded videos for the kids to see and hopefully did it on their own. What I learned from this project is that the adult world is very complicated. One does not simply create a football camp *meme voice*. None of the three of us expected that to be an issue, but as it turns out that was our main one. It set us back a bit not being able to have the camp because we basically had to start all over again. Personally, I feel that Tyler, Niko, and I have worked extremely well together. We split up blog posts so the work was done evenly, and we all have worked on our google doc as well. We probably deserve an A- because having to start over set us back.

Unit 8 Reflecton

This unit was about the muscular system. Our essential understandings included how muscles are organized and classified, how they work, which are the major muscles, and how muscle fibers and synovial joints work. To start off the unit we choreographed synovial joint dances, which was a fun change of pace activity that helped us learn all of the different synovial joints. My favorite part of this unit was the chicken muscle dissection because we were able to physically see and feel the muscles instead of just looking at pictures of them.
 



We also did a new joint project, where we had to redesign a joint in an attempt to reduce injury risk. My joint was the ulnar collateral ligament located in the elbow, which is frequently injured by baseball pitchers. My redesign included thickening the joint in all directions. Although this would reduce elbow flexibility it would reduce injury risk significantly.

Something that I learned that I can apply to my life is stretching. Most muscles have an opposite, meaning while one muscle is flexing the opposite muscle has to relax. For example if I'm curling my arm, my bicep brachii is flexing (contracting) and my tricep humorus is relaxing (extending). Typically when I stretch my hamstrings I would just bend down and reach for my toes. But now, I know if I flex my quads while I reach for my toes I can go even further because my hamstring is forced to relax even more.

My New Year Goals are going good so far. I have gained weight by lifting and eating more. I currently have a C+ in Anatomy but I'm very close to getting it to a B-.

What Happens When You Stretch

"The nerve endings that relay all the information about the musculoskeletal system to the central nervous system are called proprioceptors."
This quote shows how even though we study each system at different times, they are all connected and all related to each other. So as we leaner about one system we continue to learn about other systems.

"When an agonist contracts, in order to cause the desired motion, it usually forces the antagonists to relax."
This is what we were learning about how when one muscle flexes the opposite muscle relaxes. Take the bicep and tricep for example; when doing curls your arm bends by our bicep contracting while the tricep simaltaneously relaxes.

"...you can get a more effective stretch by inducing the antagonists to relax during the stretch due to the contraction of agonists."
This is something I have never thought about. This is very definitely something i will pay attention next time I am stretching. For example, if I am stretching my hamstrings I will focus on tightening my quads so I can get an even deeper stretch.



Relate & Review
This reading was very interesting. It talked about the effects that stretching has on the muscles. This is definitely something I will use in my own life, ads I probably don't stretch as often or as long as I should. It also gave some interesting techniques for stretching, such as flexing the opposite muscle of the one you are stretching.

New Joint Project

The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is a thick triangular band at the medial aspect of the elbow uniting the distal aspect of the humerus to the proximal aspect of the ulna. It consists of two portions, an anterior and posterior united by a thinner intermediate portion. The most common UCL injury is a slow deterioration of the joint as a result of repeated stress, commonly seen in baseball pitchers. To treat the injury Tommy John Surgery is required. This is where they will take tendons from a different part of your body and replace the UCL with it. The surgery is named after Tommy John, a major league pitcher who in 1974 was the first ever to have the surgery. This injury usually occurs in hard throwers because the faster your arm is moving the more stress you're putting on your ulnar collateral ligament. 

To improve this joint and reduce injury risk, I thought the best way to do this would be to keep it simple and not change too many things. I would simply thicken tendons in all ways in an attempt to make it stronger and more durable. Side effects could perhaps include less mobility of the joint because of the increased thickness of the tendons, which could possibly result in a slower fast ball. But in my opinion, 5-6 miles per hour slower on a fastball would be worth the trade off of dramatically reducing injury risk of the ulnar collateral joint. 

This project was very interesting. It caused us to learn a specific joint in more depth, which in turn helps us learn about all of the joints as a whole. I can't remember ever doing this type of project in a previous class. This topic is very relatable for me because I have suffered from elbow pain for years from pitching and I know many people who have had to get Tommy John surgery.





Sources:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/97451-overview

http://www.houstonmethodist.org/orthopedics/where-does-it-hurt/elbow/ulnar-collateral-ligament-injuries/

Atlas of Human Anatomy, Frank H. Netter

Chicken Muscle Dissection

For this lab we dissected a chicken, focusing primarily on the muscles and joints. I learned that these chickens are breed to have very plump thighs and breasts and that is the reason they are so unproportionate.





This is the Pectoralis Major. It pulls the wing ventrally (flying).





This is the Pectoralis Minor. It pulls the shoulder down and forward.





This is the Trapezius muscle. It pulls the shoulder back.





This is the Latissimus Dorsi. They run from the spine to the wing and their function is to pull the wing.





This is the chicken wing. The muscle pinned is the deltoid, Which raises the wing.






BLUE: This is the Biceps Brachii. It flexes the wing. YELLOW: This is the Triceps Humeralis. It exends the wing.





This is the Flexor Carpi Ulnaris, responsible for flexing the hand.





This is the Brachioradialis, responsible for pulling the hand back.





This is the Sartorius, which flexes the thigh.





This is the Iliotibialis, which extends the thigh and flexes the leg.





This is the Biceps Femoris, which flexes the leg.





This is the Semimembranosus, which extends the thigh.





This is the Semitendinosus, which extends the thigh.





This is the Quadriceps Femoris, which flexes the thigh and extends the lower leg.





This is the Gastrocnemius, which extends the foot and flexes the lower leg.





This is the Peroneus Longus, which extends the foot.





This is the Tibialis Anterior, which flexes the foot.






The human muscles and chicken muscles have many similarities as well as differences. In the upper arm/wing we both have deltoids, biceps brachia, and triceps humeralis. In the back, we both have the trapezius muscle and the latissimus dorsi muscle. However, in birds the iliotibialis muscle is actually three different muscles in humans; tensor fasciae latae, gluteus maximus, and iliotibial tract.