Abstract
BACKGROUND: Proper muscle tension is an essential element for correct body posture and motion. It should be high enough to counteract gravity and low enough to provide smooth, selective movement and isolated activity. Improper muscle tension will disturb the correct development of the body schema. The quality of muscle tension will be dependent upon the following: genetic factors, localization and the degree of damage to the central nervous system. The aim of the study was an attempt to determine the value of features describing the body posture of women and men with a body height of 180 cm to 195 cm. METHODS: The research was conducted in a group of 123 people with the body height ranging from 180 to 195 cm, coming from the entire territory of Poland. The photogrammetric method has been implemented in registering 40 features which are descriptive of body posture. RESULTS: The research results demonstrated that the average thoracic kypnosis angle and the lumbar lordosis as well as the Alpha, Beta and Gamma angles included in the sagittal planes are located between the upper and the lower values of normative ranges for both 18 year old males and females. The size of the asymmetry of the axial locomotor system in coronal and sagittal planes and the pelvis, the height and the width of waist triangles, asymmetry of shoulder blades and shoulders in coronal and transverse planes was included between the upper and the lower extremum of normative range. CONCLUSIONS: The research material is a representative group for the analyzed body height and sex, because it was strictly selected in terms of somatic structure, body posture, physical activity and lifestyle. The sizes of the features describing the body posture of women and men with a body height of 180 cm to 195 cm fall within the ranges of the normative posture features adopted for 18-year-olds diagnosed with the use of the mora projection method.