Low back pain is a major problem for the American population. As many as 75%-80% of adults have experienced significant low back pain. Lack of core stability and strength is the major cause of low back pain. Current research has found the following:
1. People with chronic low back pain have inadequate firing of the transversus abdominis, internal oblique, multifidus and deep erector spinae.
2. Training the abdominal area without proper pelvic stabilization increases intradiscal pressure and compressive forces in the lumbar spine.
3. Core training done without proper recruitment of the tranversus abdominis, multifidus and other stabilizers will lead to the development of muscle imbalances and inefficient neuromuscular control of the kinetic chain (human movement system).
4. People with chronic low back pain have inadequate stabilization endurance. When training the core, the stabilizer muscles (which are primarily slow twitch muscle fibers)are best trained with the "time under tension" method. This method of contraction lasts for 6-20 seconds. This method also improves static and dynamic stabilization.
5. Maintaining the cervical spine in a neutral position during core training improves posture, muscle balance and stabilization. If the head protrudes (forward head) during training, the sternocleidomastoid (anterior neck muscle) is recruited. This can lead to pelvic instability and anterior rotation of the pelvis. When this happens, the eyes re-align and are not level. This will negatively impact the athlete's performance.
In Part 4 of this series, I will detail training guidelines for core stabilization.
See Core Training Series, 2
See Core Training Series, 1
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Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
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Hi there,
ReplyDeleteThe training series is really great.We learn lot of things from it.
Thanks,
Maria