Some Insights Regarding Symmetry Relevance in Biomedicine

(Publisert i Symmetry vol. 14, nr. 10 2022)

The subject of symmetry has always been a matter of interest in biomedicine, particularly in exercise physiology and biomechanics. Studies have considered static and dynamic symmetry, particularly regarding human and comparative movement and locomotion. Asymmetry levels can depend on genetics and, thus, laterality (viz., showing a dominant side). Regarding this, static asymmetry was found to negatively affect locomotion performance in both humans and animals. Depending on the specific physical activity, humans tune such innate asymmetry towards higher (e.g., fencing, throwing and tennis) or lower (e.g., ice-skating, skiing and crawl-style swimming) levels. The aim of this editorial was to provide some insights regarding symmetry in biomedicine and, in particular, injury prevention, performance optimization and the relationship between symmetry and ergonomics. It is confirmed that the subject of symmetry is relevant for both health- and sport-related issues. Much is already known about symmetry in biomedicine, but there are still “gray” areas (e.g., the extent to which humans undertake effective counter-asymmetry strategies to compensate for at least minor asymmetries), which deserve further research.

Les artikkelen: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/14/10/2046/htm