The “CORE”

Refers to all parts of the body, excluding the arms and legs:

Pelvic, Trunk and Shoulder girdles.

The Spine

Important Muscles

Core stability is: The control of the trunk muscles to

maintain a ‘strong’ neutral position of the spine and to stabilise the core regions, to ensure efficient and safe movement.

CORE STABILITY Is the capacity of the

core to resist being deformed involuntarily, thus causing deficiency in postural control.

The CORE Is the crucial link

between upper and lower limb movements, providing efficiency in function. Efficiency is important in sporting and everyday activities.

The Core Especially

important in lifting and body extension activities.

E.g. Working with tools in difficult to reach areas; moving awkward shaped furniture.

Conscious of the CORE Core improvement can be

included in everyday activities

e.g. maintaining a neutral position when working on the computer

Getting in and out of a car Decreasing the lever length Using your legs to reduce

the amount of spinal contribution.

Training the CORE: Specific Abdominal bracing / abdominal hollowing /

bridging: “pulling the belly button in and up while breathing normally”

Specific Training Swiss ball activities:

providing an unstable environment that stress the neutral position of the spine, requiring re-action to address the malalignment.

Need to be aware of quality of exercise technique.

Persisting with poor form can lead to injury!!!!

Functional Training Once the hold is satisfactory, add

peripheral movements

Functional strength Making strength specific

to what we are training for.

“How efficient can I be in actual movements as a result of the strength gained in the execution of that movement” Gambetta, 2000

Exercise FormLook for Signs of unwanted muscle activity Posterior pelvic tilt Excessive hip flexion Inability to relax abdominal wall Difficult, inappropriate or no breathing

Exercise Prescription An over emphasis on core stability at the

expense of peripheral stability is a step towards instability

An over emphasis on functional strength at the expense of pure strength gains can be a step towards loss of strength

Holistic Approach Need to focus on a holistic approach to

ensure postural control can be maintained in all the specific dynamics of movement, from Sitting in Class paying attention to the teacher to Olympic lifting !

Holistic