I’ve had this conversation over and over this week and its time to clear the air on a topic that creates a lot of confusion!
When dealing lower back aches due to core function issues, its not enough to just strengthen the core through exercising. Making your core muscles big and strong is just one way that you can help fix core related back issues.
If core tone/ strength was the main issue than any body builder/ or athlete would never have any back issues.
However, core strength itself would be one of many parts of a much larger problem.
Our core is held together by many muscles. Think of it like one of those circus tents. There is the main pole in the middle (spine) and the ropes all around it making sure the pole stays upright (muscles). If the muscle doesn’t work properly then the middle pole will sway to the one side.
For our core muscles to work there are many neurological sequences that need to happen for a muscle to contract. If there is any disruption in the sequence, then the muscle will fail to contract properly. This causes other muscles to take over and try compensate (they are often referred to as tight or knots). Strengthening a muscle that doesn’t contract properly may make it stronger, but imbalance will remain. These are the people I notice who train their cores day in-day out with no results.
Take the image above as an example. The middle box is the centre structure and the lines attaching to it are being pulled by different people at the same time. As a result, the centre structure is balance and stable. If one of those people weren’t pulling while the others were then then the structure would shift. Basically, it doesn’t matter how strong and powerful the person is, if they aren’t doing anything.
So before concerning with strength, we need to make sure the core work!!! The only way to find out is be assessed properly.
