Exercises for core stability have become a major health trend in recent times. These exercises have caught the attention of the health conscious public and has been fuelled further with the combined efforts of commercial exercise companies and research papers. There are a lot of ways the exercises can be done, and just like any other exercise programs, the effectiveness varies for each individual but as the science has improved so too has the application of the methods.
How To Get The Most Out Of It
Whilst core stability exercises are good at getting the muscles to work, there is a problem in identifying the best stage with which to apply these techniques
As an example, Intelligent Training Systems (ITS) were invited to give a series of presentations at a yearly exercise convention. The audience were invited to participate in a Pilate’s class which was very well taught but following the class ITS asked them how many of them had back pain and 75% of them raised their hands whereas only a few had back pain before the exercise started.
ITS tested some of the participants biomechanics and it was not surprising that many of them had deficiencies. ITS realized that the back pain was caused by the fact that the participants were not biomechanically prepared to do the exercises properly. Therefore it wasn’t the class that was the issue but the biomechanics of the participants and this is an example of the need to identify the best time to participate in core stability exercises. Each person should be tested for biomechanical issues because if problems exist then it is extremely difficult to engage the core properly due to other biomechanical problems.
Stabilising Dysfunction
If you have a biomechanical dysfunction such as rotated pelvis and associated leg length discrepancy then does it seem like the right idea to start straight into core stability exercises? Basically all you are doing is stabilising a dysfunctional system which ultimately leads to pain and injury. It is better to focus first on making sure you are in good biomechanical shape and then core stability exercises can provide a high degree of stability in a biomechanically efficient position. Our iMoveFreely® programme,Move Freely Assessment and TAMARS® treatment can all help to provide this sound biomechanical basis.
In 2006, Stuart McGill, PhD, said that core stability training could either help some people and probably also hurt others but with better understanding of the biomechanics involved we can help reduce the risk of injury.