THE ECCENTRICITY OF STANDING AND ITS CAUSE

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Abstract
A series of expts. designed to yield quantitative estimates of right and left sided differences in size, strength and limb preference were performed on 20 young adult women in an effort to elucidate the mechanism of the slight posterosinistral eccentricity of the vertical projection of the center of gravity which had previously been demonstrated by Hellebrandt et al to characterize the upright stance of 80% of normal subjects. Morphologic and functional asymmetries were found to occur in limb preference, volume and strength. Although most of these were too small to have statistical significance they constantly favored the right side. It is suggested that in the aggregate these small dextral asymmetries in functional capacity associated with like differences in size have the effect of a slightly eccentric counterweight on the incessantly shifting rotatory moments acting on the joints of the weight-bearing skeletal parts. The autonomous equilibrating muscular contractions called forth, over-compensate for the force of this unequal wt. and the anteriorly unbalanced position of the leg, by an amount great enough to result in a slight eccentricity in the location of the mean vertical projection of the center of gravity in a position contralateral to the sum of the unequal stresses.

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