Back Pain Prevention Pt.1 – Increase Core Stability

Let me start this off by saying that I’m one of the fortunate ones that have never had a back injury or had to deal with back pain in all my 40 years.  Other than being born healthy and with good genetics, I attribute this to one main thing: knowledge.  Of course I had to act on that knowledge, but if you don’t know what to do, then you just can’t do it.

Increasing Core Stability
Every move we make is dependant on two things (1) muscles to hold us steady and (2) muscles to actually move us.  This is referred to as core stabilization when talking about how your trunk muscles keep your spine and body stable and in control. This stability plays a critical role in:

• Posture
• Balance Efficient and Powerful Movement
• Injury Reduction

What Is Core Stabilization?

The spine is a complex piece of our body that’s made up of bones stacked on top of one another. In between the bones are cushions called discs (kind of like cheese), and these discs are surrounded by a tough fibrous tissue.

To make the spine more stable, all these parts are connected by cartilage, ligaments, and muscles. If the muscles are strong and working properly, then you have a solid base for movement, absorbing impact, and preventing injury.

And if not………well I hope you have good insurance!

Now for a little medical jargon.

There are three main muscles involved in core stability.

(1) Trasverse Abdominus - wraps around your abdomin.
(2) Multifidus – lies along spine from neck to pelvis.
(3) Muscles of the pelvic floor (ok, so more than 3 if you don’t consider this one as a group). Used when holding your pee.

The rest of the muscles around your trunk also play a role. But those 3 above are always used no matter how you move and therefore the most critical.

Why is Core Stabilization Important?

Are you ready for this ground breaking news??

All the body parts are connected together, directly or indirectly. Kind of like a chain. It means that when you move part of your body you will affect other parts. This so called, kinetic chain, all comes together in the trunk of your body.

Imagine this: you’re out passing ball with your kid – as you step forward to throw the ball, you step on a rock and roll your ankle. And just like domino’s, your knee, hip, and everything else follow along.

The result can be an injury to any part of that chain reaction. Torn knee ligaments, hip or groin muscles, pulled back muscles, pinched nerves.

You may be thinking “how is my core stability gonna keep my knee from injury”?

Well, let me tell you. If your core is strong and balanced, your reaction is going to be MUCH different and less “animated”. Meaning, you will be able to “catch yourself” and hold upright steady as opposed to losing your balance and place more stress on other joints.

Promoting strength and good health through core stability is an ancient idea. Many forms of martial arts such as tai chi focus on the core. As well as yoga and pilates.

As I said before it’s the foundation of your balance, posture, coordination, and power. Training the core to contract in the correct order will give you the foundation you need. This is where the term “Functional Training” comes into play. But I digress. That’s an entirely different series.

How to Increase Core Stability.
This is easy to do. Start with three simple exercises that don’t require any equipment at all. In fact, you can do these almost anywhere, and anytime.

(1) Breathing
Yep, breathing. Learn to breathe with your diaphragm. To do this, lie on your back with hands on your stomach. Notice how this type of breathing feels so you can duplicate it later at anytime. When you begin this exercise (not lying on the floor) try to get the same feeling of your chest and abdomen moving in and out, rather than your chest and shoulders moving up and down.

(2) Vacuums
No, this doesn’t mean cleaning. Vacuums work the aforementioned transverse abdominus – the muscle that wraps around our waist and contracts when we cough. To contract the transverse abdominus, pull in your belly as if you were trying to make your belly button touch your spine. IMPORTANT; you must breathe normally during this exercise. Pull in with the muscles, not by inhaling and holding your breath. Hold this contraction for about 5 seconds then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 to 12 times. This can be done anywhere; driving, standing, sitting, sunbathing, literally anywhere.

(3) Bridging
This may be difficult for some. Begin small and work your way up. First, lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten the abs and push with your feet to raise your butt up a few inches, or as much as you can stand.

Regular practice of these three exercises will drastically improve core stability and have you feeling stronger in no time.

References:

• Leetun DT, et al. (2004). Core stability measures as risk factors for lower extremity injury in athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 36(6): 926–934.
• Marshall PW, et al. (2005). Core stability exercises on and off a Swiss ball. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86(2): 242–249.
• Mees PD (2003). Making strides in rehabilitation. Physician and Sportsmedicine, 31(8). Available online: http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2003/0803/spotlight0803.htm.
• Weinstein SM, et al. (2005). Low back pain. In JA DeLisa et al., eds., Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 4th ed., pp. 667–678. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.