Human Antennae - How we sense the world around us

Anthropod Antennae 

Historically, anthropods (invertebrate animals) have antennae to help sense the world around them. They typically project forward from the head to be able to act as chemo, thermo, and mechanoreceptors, providing information of their local environment.

Recent research is suggesting that we too, as humans, have antennae that interact with our environment. The only difference is that our antennae are masked within our largest organ of the body, the skin. More specifically, within the skin of our feet and hands. They can be considered our feelers.

Hennig & Sterzing reported in a 2009 study that the mechanoreceptors in the skin provide the brain with sensory input of foot placement and loading. In essence acting as an antenna to communicate with the brain to aid in the balancing act of human locomotion.

Homunculus

If we look at the Homunculus, a depiction of how the brain maps different parts of our body, you can't help to notice that certain regions have larger representations within our cortex. The sense of touch really stands apart from other senses in our opinion. Its not localized in specialized organs like the eyes but spans the entire surface of the body.

Rock Tape for Short Foot Posture

At Rock Tape, we believe that we can tap into this sensory rich organ and optimize the information provided to the brain. By adding another stimulus, via taping of foot baroreceptors, the brain is bathed with added sensory information that can augment our postural response to any environment challenge. A suggested application is taping the foot to reinforce the short foot position, popularized by Dr. V. Janda. This can enhance our foots potential to perceive the ground we walk on. We think of it as providing the human body with superhuman antennae that will serve us well in the journey of bettering ourselves in the dance of human movement.

Dr. Capo's 2 Pennies

References:

Hennig, EM & Sterzing, TS. Sensitivity Mapping of the Human Foot: Threshold at 30 Skin Locations. Foot and Ankle International, Oct 2009, Vol 30, No 10, 986-98.