The importance of your core in recovering from, and preventing injuries, has been known for many years.
Your core is made up of four groups of muscles – Transverse Abdominus, Pelvic Floor, Multifidus and the Diaphragm.
It is the activation patterning and endurance of these muscles that control your movement and protect from injury – in short we need the right muscles, working at the right time, with the right amount of force.
When we experience pain, and especially back pain, our core muscles turn off and our big moving muscles (think six pack and hamstrings) turn on to protect us from further injury.
Whilst this is great to protect you from further injury in the acute phase, the balance in these muscles needs to be restored. This is where activation comes in.
In the acute phase the focus is on getting the core to activate and the global muscles to relax.
When we know that the muscles are doing their intended job, the focus then shifts to strengthening them to prevent future injuries.
You use your core for every movement you do throughout the day, so having one that activates and modulates to the chosen activity is essential.
Your physiotherapist is trained in assessing and treating core deficits to get you back feeling your best!
By Kathryn Holzberger
