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Scientific Core Conditioning

Core Conditioning is vital in maintaining a healthy back and preventing both acute and chronic injuries, yet most trainers and therapists have no idea how important this area actually is and more importantly think that the person who does a hundred sit-ups a night must have a strong core. This is both wrong and dangerous, as muscular imbalances in the core are commonplace and can cause more than just back pain. Changes in the biomechanics of the core can cause overpronation of the ankle leading to medical shin splints, plantar fasciitis and ligament problems in both the knee and ankle. How many therapists look at the conditioning of the core and positioning of the pelvis when treating these injuries?

Most people do not know how to use their deep core stabilising muscles such as the transverse abdominus and multifidus. The reason for this is the sedentary society that we now live in. We go to work, sit in front of a computer all day long, eat processed fatty foods, come home, sit in front of the television all evening and have a take away. Simply put, we have drained our muscles to such an extent that the nervous system is no longer able to switch it on when needed. If muscle is not in a state of hypertrophy it will quickly atrophy. If you don't use, you'll lose it.

Talk of core conditioning among the fitness enthusiast is less to do with proper function and injury prevention and more to do with aesthetic issues. This means an obsession with a six pack, the rectus abdominus musculature, which is frequently over-trained leading to facilitated hip flexors and depressed sternal angle which leads to neck and back problems, etc.

Many therapists also treat elite athletes and proper core function is vital to athletic performance. In fact training the core correctly can make an athlete stronger, faster, more powerful, able to jump higher, etc. However, most athletes also have incorrect core function due to over-training, or incorrect training methods and this should be taken into consideration when treating an athlete who looks fit. The body might look good but unless it's functioning properly it can be more of a hindrance than a help. The common day bodybuilder is a typical example of training the body for aesthehtic purposes without any functional considerations.