Why Is It Important To Strengthen Your Core?
Many of us will learn to appreciate our “core” once we have had an episode of back pain. Our core consists of our trunk, pelvis region, and the many muscles that surround those areas.
Why do many of us have back pain with no apparent injury?
Unfortunately, many of us have sedentary jobs, where we’re required to spend many hours at a time at a computer or desk. When you spend hours on end, 5 days per week at a desk, our bodies receive cumulative stress. Staying in a sedentary position over time will deprive our body of the movement it needs to get nutrition to our joints and discs in our spine. It first begins with an occasional episode of back pain that may last just a few days. But, over time, those episodes of pain become more frequent and last longer. Eventually, you realize you have persistent or “chronic” back pain! The way we’ve lived our life has now caused some degenerative changes and weakness in our “core”.
Some of our important core muscles include abdominal muscles, transverse abdominus muscles, deeper multifidus muscles, and more superficial back and pelvic muscles.
Many of us look for a “quick fix” to relieve our back pain,but you must realize that it took a while for you to produce a “chronic” condition, so it will take a while (and some effort) to get you the relief you seek! You always want to explore the most conservative treatment for you back first, before seeking something more invasive like surgery. One of the most conservative (and effective treatment) is “core” strengthening.
The key to training your core is proper execution of specific exercises. Many exercise professionals including trainers and physical therapists, have the right concept, but fail to properly address your technique to ensure efficient results. Thus, it is important you work with experienced clinicians that can give you the maximum benefit you deserve. Some general exercise principals that may be implemented include:
- Stabilization exercises lying on your back that introduce arm and leg movements.
- Exercises on a large ball (usually called a Swiss ball) that are more advanced and require more control.
- Exercise machines including Lat pulldown, Row machine, and Cable Pulleys
- Exercises that place you in dynamic positions that simulate a specific posture you must sustain during a typical day.
If you have back pain or a concern that you are destined to have back pain, please contact us any time for advice.