The Importance of Core Stability of Core Stability Part 3

The next step

Having learned to recruit the TA muscles correctly in various positions, which can take anything from one session to one month or more, it is time to move onto simple core stability exercises. These exercises may also involve the oblique muscles, other lumbar muscles and gluteals to assist the TA in maintaining the lumbar spine in a stable neutral position.

Lying leg lift stabilisation

1)Lying on your back with your knees bent

2)Ensure your back is in neutral

3)Place your hands on your hips for biofeedback

4)Breathe in and relax

5)Breathe out and, as you do so, perform the abdominal hollowing or zipping-up action

6)Once you have established some TA tension, slowly slide your left leg out along the floor until it is straight and then slide it back

7)Your back should not have moved, and your pelvis should not have tilted as you performed this action

8)If your back or pelvis moved, you did not achieve the correct stability
Repeat for the other side 10 times each leg

9)Variations include the same exercise with knee lifts up and knee drops out to the side. Again, the aim is to retain a stable lumbar spine in the neutral position as the legs move.

The waiter's bow

1)Stand up with good posture, knees soft, lumbar spine in neutral, head up and shoulders back and relaxed

2)Breathe in and relax

3)Breathe out and as you do so perform the abdominal hollowing action

4)Keeping the tension, slowly lean forward from the hips 20° and stop, like a waiter's bow, keeping your back completely straight and long as you lean

5)Hold the lean position for 10 seconds - you will feel your TA and MF supporting you if you hold the correct position

6)Keeping the tension and the alignment, slowly return to your start position
Repeat 10 times

7)These exercises are two examples of learning how to keep the spine in neutral, using slow and controlled static contractions of the trunk stabiliser muscles.

Notice how technique is vital and the aim is to build up the time you are able to maintain good stability.