When most people think of core strength the first two things that come to mind are washboard abs and a flat tummy. But core strength is much more important than that; it's essential for overall movement effectiveness, quality of life and injury prevention. This is especially important for low back pain suffers. If the muscles in the core are already weak, strengthening them can be an important component to reducing pain, maintaining good posture and increasing stability/balance. As you may of heard in the news, the “sitting disease” has been labeled the new modern-day health epidemic. Sitting for long periods of time can slow our body’s metabolism and increase areas of pain and tightness. One solution is to try taking small walking breaks throughout the day to keep the body moving. Standing desks and stability ball chairs have also become a popular office trend. To alleviate your back pain, start by trying these basic strengthening exercises that can be incorporated into your weekly fitness routine (I recommend 2-3 times a week).
All you'll need is a mat! 1) Start by lying face down on your mat. Place your elbows and forearms underneath your chest.2) Prop yourself up to form a bridge using your toes and forearms.3) Maintain a flat back and do not allow your hips to sag towards the ground.4) Hold position for 10 seconds, relax and repeat 5-10 times First time plankers: Try doing this exercise from your knees 1) Stand about 10 to 12 inches from the wall, then lean back until your back is flat against the wall.2) Slowly slide down until your knees are slightly bent, pressing your lower back into the wall.3) Hold for a count of 10, then carefully slide back up the wall. 1) Begin by getting down on your hands and knees with your arms shoulder-width apart and hands directly underneath your shoulders.2) Next, tighten your core and begin exercise by raising your right arms up and your left leg up at the same time until they are both in line with the rest of your body.3) Hold this position for a brief moment and then return to starting position.
Repeat with opposite leg and arm. 1) Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands clasped behind your head.2) Step back with your right leg and lower your body until your left knee is bent to 90 degrees.3) Push back up to start. Repeat for 12 reps totals. 1) Start seated with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.2) Lean back just far enough so your feet can float off the ground.3) Begin to straighten your legs together so that your body forms a V shape, keeping your arms extended and parallel to the ground.4) Balance on your tailbone and sit bones, chest lifted, and gaze forward.5) Hold for five to 10 breaths. Repeat two to five times. It’s never to late to start making healthy changes in your life! Your body will thank you down the road. Start with a goal, stay in tuned with a powerful mind and reduce loads of stress with exercise. Robyn provides in-home customized personal training, corrective exercise programs and nutrition counseling services in the Center City, Philadelphia area.
She specializes in corrective exercise for improved movement, muscular imbalances, and injury prevention. As well as weight loss/gain, body sculpting, overall strength conditioning and lifestyle improvement. Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness. Published: October 10, 2016 — 10:45 AM EDTUpdated: October 10, 2016 — 12:17 PM EDT The page you were searching for could not be found. It's possible the address was typed incorrectly, or that the page no longer exists. You can login or register for the site, run a quick search here, or also explore other options below. Not a Member Yet? Join now, It is quick, easy and FREE. Get access to our entire program, including: Food tracker and personalized meal plans Support from our experts on message boards Articles, recipes, tips, and much more! Add to My Favorites Export to Citation Manager Alert Me When Cited You could be reading the full-text of this article now if you...
Are a patient or caregiver If you have access to this article through your institution, you can view this article in The Effect of Sitting on Stability Balls on Non-Specific Lower Back Pain, Disability, and Core Endurance: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Study. Post Acceptance: March 22, 2016To determine whether sitting on a ball for 90 minutes/day instead of a chair has an effect on low back pain (LBP), low back disability, and/or core muscle endurance. Summary of Background Data. LBP may result from prolonged sitting. It has been proposed that replacing chairs with stability balls can diminish LBP in those who sit for prolonged periods. Research on the topic is sparse and inconclusive.90 subjects (university students, staff, and faculty, ages 18-65, who sit at least 4 hours/day) were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group for the first part of the study. Baseline data was collected: Oswestry Disability Index, a numerical pain rating scale for LBP, and four core muscle endurance tests.
For eight weeks, the control group sat on their usual chair. The intervention group sat on stability balls 5 days/week, increasing up to 90 minutes/day. Baseline measurements were repeated post intervention. After a washout period, subjects switched groups, and the procedures were repeated. 70 completed participation in control group and 76 in intervention group.There were no statistically significant differences for pain or disability in either group (p > 0.05). Changes in isometric trunk flexion (p = 0.001), non-dominant sided plank (p = 0.008), and Sorensen (p = 0.006) endurance scores were significant within the intervention group but not the control group. Between group comparisons revealed a significant difference for isometric trunk flexion (p = 0.005) and Sorensen endurance times (p = 0.010). Analysis also showed that ball-sitting did not prevent an increase in LBP over the 8-week period.Ball-sitting had no significant effects on LBP or associated disability but did improve core endurance in the sagittal plane.