An illustrated guide to the core design principles of the body’s musculoskeletal system—for kinesiologists, movement therapists, yoga teachers, dancers, and bodyworkers of all kindsWhat does knowledge of anatomical structure have to do with preventing everyday muscular aches, pains, and injuries? According to Dr. Theodore Dimon, everything!
Our bodies are designed to work holistically, supported by an intelligently organized system of muscles, bones, and connective tissue. So when we target problem spots by stretching, relaxing, or strengthening individual muscles, we bypass the dynamic, interconnected network that enables healthy functioning and injury prevention. Understanding how this system works in action is the key.
In this groundbreaking guide, Dr. Dimon describes the basic principles that govern our bodies’ musculoskeletal architecture and provides practical exercises to activate specific muscle groups and demonstrate our bodies’ efficient holistic function. Readers will learn about dynamic design and the body in action, including:
How the musculoskeletal system works as a whole
The relationship between proprioception and muscle length
About maximizing spinal, shoulder, hip, arm, and leg stability and health
The important role of breath and breathing
About posture and musculoskeletal support
With more than 300 illustrations, this is an ideal resource for students and practitioners of kinesiology, bodywork, movement, sport kinesiology, dance, and all readers searching for a dynamic guide to the human body.
A practical and informative guidebook illustrating the core design principles behind the body's musculoskeletal system.
When we suffer from musculoskeletal difficulties, most of us assume there is something wrong with our posture and balance. We then seek out the assistance of a healing professional who might treat us with massage, medication, or new stretching exercises. But why are children and even some well-coordinated adults far less prone to injury? How is it that their muscles do not require the same degree of massaging, strengthening, or stretching as others? The reason, says Theodore Dimon in Anatomy in Action, is that our muscles, bones, and connective tissue form a dynamic, highly organized system of support. Understanding this system is the key for developing and maintaining healthy musculoskeletal functioning, as well as avoiding injury. This practical and informative guidebook describes the basic principles governing our body's musculoskeletal architecture, including the specific anatomical systems--such as the shoulders, spinal extensors, and hips--that make up its complex design. Anatomy in Action provides readers with a precise view into the beautiful and remarkable apparatus operating beneath our skin. With over 200 illustrations as well as practical exercises for activating specific muscle groups, this is a valuable handbook demonstrating the musculoskeletal marvel in action. It is also the ideal resource for students and practitioners of body work, movement, kinesiology, and dance.
“I enthusiastically recommend this book. It very clearly and simply achieves its stated goal of ‘contribut[ing] to a practical and theoretical understanding of this vital subject and to an advance[ing] in our knowledge of the remarkable and subtle workings of [the musculoskeletal system of] the human body.’ It is exceptionally readable for anyone who has an interest in understanding the basic parts of our body that contribute so greatly to our daily living and well-being.”
—Richard A. Magill, PhD, coauthor of
Motor Learning and Control and adjunct professor at the Movement Sciences Program, Teachers College, Columbia University
“What would it be like for you ‘to be connected’ with your body—to be aligned mentally and physically to prevent injury, tension, and stress? Dr. Ted Dimon gives us the tools to have a heightened awareness of this mind/body relationship. The fundamental aspects of anatomy are creatively illustrated. The wonderful dynamics of the human body in motion are displayed to perfection. This book will guide you to achieve proper alignment of the muscle/bone/joint unit. What a gift for wellness and therapeutic healing!”
—Dr. Marie Lupica, assistant attending pediatrician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College
“In this groundbreaking book, Ted Dimon unravels the mystery of the moving body, making sense of its various functions and capacities. For Dimon, the body is not simply something to be treated, but is the vital foundation for living healthfully, for paying attention to oneself, and for paying respect to our living design. I recommend this book highly, whether for healers of others or healers of self, who seek to reintegrate bodily awareness with physical form. Dimon opens the door leading to wholeness.”
—Lisa Miller, PhD, professor and founder of Spirituality Mind Body Institute, Columbia University, and author of the
New York Times best seller
The Spiritual Child 
