Human body asymmetry and its significance in orthopedics

Siegfried Bornich (Zeitschrift fr orthopdiche Chirurgie, 23 Dec. 1927). The human body is rarely completely symmetrical. Asymmetry occurs in all parts of our skeleton, but is especially reflected in the spine. Due to the unequal length of the legs, the pelvis takes an oblique position, which in turn causes scoliosis. In a child, the left leg is usually shorter than the right, the lumbar part of the spine is bent to the left; in the thoracic part of the spine, a compensatory curvature to the right occurs. In young men, the right leg becomes shorter, the pelvis, depending on this, changes the slope, but scoliosis is already static in nature. Asymmetry has become permanent. In adults, finally, there is a cross type of asymmetry, when, for example, the left shin is shorter than the right, the thigh, on the contrary, etc. The author concludes that asymmetry is of great importance from the point of view of physical education: gymnastics should be different according to the type asymmetry and age of the child.