Episode 20: Floating and Buoyancy in the Arm

There is a beautiful balance between course, large muscle action and precise, fine muscle action. One of the easiest places to see this is in the shoulder and specifically how the shoulder and the arm interact. High level athletes often exemplify this balance in the way they perform their specific art. They seem to be able to perform at an elite level for a long duration with what appears to be little to no effort. At the same time, some of their fellow players or opponents seem to constantly be exerting themselves to the fullest. They often tire quickly, and get injured more frequently which  injury can end their careers. Why is this? It is because the athletes that perform at higher levels have developed both their course muscle and fine muscle functions in this beautiful balance of movement interaction. This balance is something that our astronauts lose quickly when they no longer have buoyancy to react with in their bodies, ultimately leading to their inability to even stand or walk when they are reintroduced to Earth's gravity.