As the saying goes, “There is a lot of truth in humor.” Did you know that, back in the day, William Shakespeare, essentially, set this thought in motion? In his tragedy, King Lear, Shakespeare wrote, “In jest, there is truth.”
There is much truth in that quote, as there is much truth in humor. Speaking of humor, SNL (Saturday Night Live) is a well-known specialist on this topic. For many, many years, SNL has been orchestrating laughs. I [Doug] imagine that most of us have a memorable skit from SNL that triggers a smile, triggers laughter.
One such skit for me [Doug] features the late and great Chris Farley alongside the talented and hilarious Adam Sandler. To pinpoint this particular SNL skit, it was 1995, Season 20, Episode 20. In this skit, Farley is the wife known as “Beverly Gelfand,” while Sandler is the husband known as “Hank Gelfand.” As the skit plays out, it is clear that Beverly has a knack for chatting non-stop and Hank has a knack for not caring. In fact, Hank goes on to say in the skit, “Day and night she talks, each word more useless than the next.” The skit goes on to bring additional laughs between Hank and Beverly, with the assistance of “Pauline” (David Duchovny).
While this skit involves much humor, it also parallels some truth. For those of us who are married, we would have to admit that we sometimes appear not to care about what our spouse is saying. This appearance leads to not paying attention. When this happens, the talkative spouse may use a, uh, strategy to get our attention. This strategy tends to be raising his / her voice and/or lowering his / her voice to gain attention so that what they are saying is known to not be – in the words of Hank – useless.
So, let’s say that I [Doug] have “this friend” … In my friend’s case, he enjoys soaking in all things SportsCenter. As one can imagine, his wife may happen to chat with (okay, at) him during this time, which leads to what may be dubbed “The Ruffini Effect.” He subtly hears his wife’s sweet voice, but he’s not listening, not responding properly. Therefore, his wife’s strategy is to talk faster and louder, thus stimulating his listening by demonstrating the significance of the conversation. It is that change in volume that triggers attention. The Ruffini Endings (also referred to as Ruffini Corpuscles) are very similar, whereas volume triggers attention, velocity triggers the firing of these proprioceptors, and rotational movement adds significance.
Ruffini Endings, like most of the proprioceptive organs, provide afferent information to the body when a mechanical force distorts them. That is why they are often referred to as mechanoreceptors. Ruffini Endings are encapsulated, but according to recent research, the shape of the capsule can vary. They are found in a number of different tissues including joint capsules, labrum cartilage, and fascia. Some researchers have reported 3 different variations, but this may be due to the functional stresses placed on the different tissues.
The most common location for Ruffini Endings, across a number of research studies, is the subsynovial layer of joint capsules. There the corpuscles demonstrate the elongated form and have attachments to the collagen fibrils of the capsule. They have been described as responding to tension, compression, and rotation, so essentially the Ruffini Endings respond to stretch. Ruffini Endings are more densely populated in proximal joints compared to distal joints. However, they are not evenly distributed but instead are located along lines in the capsule that will be stretched with joint motion.
Ruffini Endings are classified as Type I. There is evidence that there is a baseline level of firing even without motion. As movement occurs, more Ruffini Endings will “fire.” The Ruffini Endings provide information on the velocity of movement. They have a low threshold, which means that a small amount of mechanical force will activate the sensor. However, there may be different levels of threshold because the faster the velocity of movement the more Ruffini Endings will fire. These receptors are also slow to adapt. This means that they will continue to fire as long as the mechanical force is still present.
Based on these characteristics, we can make some educated assumptions about how the information from Ruffini Endings is used by the body in conjunction with other sensory receptors. The neuro-perceptual information provided by the Ruffini endings is essential to coordinated movement. The continuous low level of firing without motion combined with the greater density in the proximal joints would suggest a role in posture. Information on the velocity of movement (constant, faster, slower) and direction of movement (based on the non-uniform distribution) goes a long way toward providing the information needed for the successful execution of movements. However, without information from the other proprioceptors, the creation of muscle synergies that are efficient and effective in executing movements is not possible.
So what, who cares, why is this information so important? Gray Institute® has coined many phrases, including the following statement: “Movement turns on proprioceptors, proprioceptors turn on muscles, and muscles control the movement.” The proper (functional) movement is key, which is why 3DMAPS® (3D Movement Analysis & Performance System) is so vital to any assessment and any progression/program.
In 3DMAPS®, the Analysis Movements – Lunges with Swings and Single Leg Balance Foot Reaches with Swings – get our Ruffini Endings firing, as the 66 Vital Motions occur throughout the entire body. (Learn more at https://grayinstitute.com/courses/3dmapsthree-dimensional-movement-analysis-and-performance-system). The use of authentic drivers (foot, hands, pelvis) facilitates these functional, authentic motions to occur.
The authentic drivers create integrated multi-joint movements. The importance of global movements is that many joint motions contribute to those movements. Therefore the Ruffini Endings in all the joints (especially in the proximal joints – hips, trunk, and shoulders) provide simultaneous information about the velocity of motion both “locally” and “globally.” The speed at which we ask our patients/clients to move facilitates further stimulation and provides the body strategies to control both slow and fast movements. Initially, the most common strategy is to allow the individual to self-select the speed of the movement to increase the chances of successful execution. The observed speed is part of the assessment.
When asking clients to execute the movements at a speed other than their choice, different strategies come into play. A faster rate of movement will increase the information from the Ruffini Endings. It requires muscles to be activated more rapidly and can supply more energy during the deceleration of the movement. Faster movement may be what the patient/client is lacking to become more functional in his/her daily life or sports activities.
However, faster is not always better. From a safety perspective, the patient/client may not be able to control the momentum created by the faster movement. As a training strategy, slower movements provide less passive strain energy from the tissues and often require more active muscle force (increasing the challenge). Also, providing less information from the Ruffini Endings may facilitate better integration of other forms of sensory input.
Does your patient / client need to train faster, slower, or both? The client will provide that answer for you when you tweak the speed of the 3DMAPS® Analysis Movements or the Performance System progressions. Because these movements involve multiple joints, the relative success of movement (and integration of the proprioceptive information) in different planes while moving at different speeds gives great insight into the needs of an individual. Ultimately, the ability to execute movements faster will enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury, but just asking for more speed may not be the shortest or the safest path to success.
From here and throughout 3DMAPS®, success begets success, due to the functional movements relative to the individual!