The Fanny Shift

Have you ever been sitting in a theater watching a movie, a rather long movie, and have to do the big shift, because your bum what hurting or you were suffering from the proverbial fanny rot… a serious problem among moviegoers. I only have one statement for those complaining: Thank goodness for your nervous system! It is constantly monitoring your environment and when things aren’t balanced, it signals the body to do something about it, in our case here, it signals the “fanny shift.” Why does the nervous system dictate this shift and what is the purpose for it? When you sit on you bum for a certain period of time your all your body weight is focused on certain tissues and joints. If this pressure is continually maintained, tissue damage ensues. The nervous system functions to protect the body and keep it in balance. When the nervous system detects damage it signals you to shift, redistributing the weight to other parts of the body, relieving the initial area of tissue damage. For those of you who pooh pooh the importance of this small act, think of those less fortunate in the hospital unable to respond to these signals of the nervous system or lack of in some cases. These poor folks start to have tissue damage; the common name given to these damaged areas is the bed sore, although this name does not do justice to the problem at hand. Bedsores can be so debilitating that bone actually starts to poke out. These folks can end up losing their whole backside. Proper care and turning of these patients does help, but even the most diligent of care cannot replace what your nervous system does naturally. Remember constant pressure is a real killer. Consider the constant pressure of a drop water over a period of time cuts canyons and creates mountains. So the next time you are in a movie theater or a place where you “just can’t seem to get comfortable”, smile because you nervous system is taking care of you! Keep that nervous system healthy!