Fitness: Increasing core stability
Why is core stabilization important?
All the parts of your body are connected to one another, directly or indirectly. Think of a chain as the connection: for example, imagine a chain starting at your foot and running through your ankle, calf, knee, thigh, and hip to your pelvis and spine. This is called the kinetic chain, and it means that moving one part of your body can affect another body part. Your trunk is where the kinetic chains come together.
Now imagine throwing a ball, and imagine that as you throw, you step on a rock and twist your ankle. When your ankle twists, your knee and hip follow along, and the smooth motion you were making with your throwing arm is disrupted. You might injure any joint along the chain from your ankle to your arm, and the ball you were throwing goes off in the wrong direction. That's the kinetic chain, connecting all the parts of your body together into a whole. A problem or weakness in one part of the chain can lead to pain or injury in another part.
The example of stepping on a rock as you throw applies to all the movements you make: your movements are all related to one another. Strengthening your trunk gives greater stability and power to the whole kinetic chain as you move.
Focusing on the core of the body as a way to promote strength and good health is an ancient idea. Yoga, Pilates, and martial arts such as tai chi all use this concept. Your trunk, where the kinetic chains come together, is the foundation for your posture, balance, and coordinated movement. The muscles of your trunk—your core—can be strengthened and trained to contract in the proper order to give you this stable foundation for movement. The benefits include:
- The strong, healthy feeling that comes from good posture.
- Confidence from strength and good balance.
- Greater strength and power for your activities.
- Less chance of injury.
- Decrease in, or prevention of, low back pain.
Test Your Knowledge
Core stabilization exercise can:
Core stabilization is a new form of exercise.
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| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH | Last Updated: March 8, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine David A. Fleckenstein, MPT - Physical Therapy Kathie Hummel-Berry, PT, PhD - Physical Therapy | |
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