Part 2:
Intrinsic risk factors are characteristics of a biomechanical, biological or psychological nature that may predispose an individual to disease or injury. Extrinsic risk factors are the external or environmental characteristics that influence a person’s injury risk.
Intrinsic risk factors are thought to predispose an individual to injury, and once a person is susceptible, extrinsic or ‘enabling’ factors may interact with predisposing factors to increase the likelihood of injury (Meeuwisse, 1994).
The human body is a remarkable machine, to fully understand injuries we need to broadly understand its structure: the human body is a mass of organic tissue and each tissue is designed for a specific purpose.
If we ensure the tissue is doing what it does best, we reduce the risk of injury. For example; the material structure of a tyre on your car is designed for creating ‘grip’ between the car and the road, but you would never use the same material to build a car’s chassis. Mechanical loading is vital to the development of the human body.
Conclusion: Could it be that today’s lifestyles have altered the mechanical load on our bodies and what we are seeing regarding injuries is the hunter-gatherer adapting to modern day lifestyles?
- Bodymotsystems.com
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