Michael Jackson was a true multi-tasking pop hero who shined as a singer, songwriter, and most memorably as a choreographer and dancer . Who has not launched into some outburst of daring to emulate his moonwalk or the disjointed movements of the zombies that appeared in the immortal Thriller video?
It is more complicated to execute one of his most famous and risky numbers, that forward tilt of the trunk with which Michael and his companions delighted us in the video clip for Smooth Criminal (1987), a full-fledged defiance of the laws of gravity.
Like us, a group of Indian neurosurgeons who are also fans of the artist have wondered how the hell he did it , but, unlike us, they have published a study in the specialized journal Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine on the subject.
Nishant S. Yagnick, Manjul Tripathi and Sandeep Mohindra of the Chandigarh Medical and Research Institute indicate in their work that, in accordance with the biomechanical limitations of the human spine, a person can lean in that way – and then return to their original position – 25 or 30 degrees at most , when the dancers in the video clip are listing at a 45 degree angle. Attempting this feat can lead to injury: the easiest thing to do is to fall flat on your face and get a good blow to the jaw. Don’t try it at home.
A single Achilles tendon
First of all, Indian experts recall that Michael Jackson patented in October 1993 a type of “anti-gravity” shoe . Anchored with screws to the floor of the stage, it facilitated twisting when the artist introduced his feet into it, without the public noticing, during live shows. In other words, there was a bit of a trick.
However, Yagnick, Tripathi and Mohindra indicate that, even with assistance, forcing the center of gravity in this drastic way is still very difficult, requiring tremendous work on the ankle, calf and back muscles. The secret of the king of pop lay in his excellent physical condition , which was based, specifically, on an Achilles tendon out of the ordinary .
Because when we bend the spine in a conventional way, the effort is supported by the erector spine muscles, which hold us like cables, while the Smooth Criminal- style dance step concentrates the load on the aforementioned tendon, as explained in the illustration that leads the article. “This anatomical part allows a limited degree of inclination with the ankle joints while maintaining straight posture … Unless you are, of course, Michael Jackson,” the researchers explain in the article.
One of them, Tripathi, said: “Jackson has pushed a generation of dancers beyond their limits, which is having consequences for the spine. Here in India (where the author of Thriller is very popular and imitated) neurosurgeons are in awe of all the new injuries that we find .
Ilustración: Manjul Tripathi.
Más información: Yagnick NS, Tripathi M, Mohindra S: “How did Michael Jackson challenge our understanding of spine biomechanics?” Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 22 de mayo, 2018; DOI: 10.3171/2018.2.SPINE171443.
