Anybody who has had a physical injury has probably worked with a physical therapist in an attempt to ensure that it is possible to fully recover from the injury. If the injury was extreme, it is likely that the physical therapist implemented a system of rehabilitation that was centred on a core strength training system. Core strength training is a type of physical training in which a person works to strengthen the muscles of his physical “core”: the muscles in his or her abdomen, back and shoulders. It is from these muscles that other muscles find strength, which is why the torso of the body is referred to as a person’s “core.”
Strength Core Training should be an important part of any physical therapy regimen because the core of a person usually from which the movement of the rest of the body happens. For example, a person cannot move his or her legs without also using the lower abdominal muscles to pull and stretch the thigh muscles. A person cannot swing his or her arms if the shoulders are not able to work together with the arms. If the core of a person is weak it is possible that he or she will not be capable of fully recovering from whatever injury affected the person to begin with.
It is probably a lack of core strength that contributed to your injury in the first place. So many people focus on having a good cardiovascular system or a high level of endurance. The core’s strength training is often put on a back burner. This is unfortunate because with a strong core, everything else becomes easier to do. When you work with your physical therapist, you will probably be taught to the following exercises (or modifications thereof) of the following exercises:
Ball crunches: crunches done while sitting on an exercise ball. This way the lower back muscles are worked as well as the muscles of a person’s frontal abdominal region and shoulders.
Push-ups. Push ups teach the body how to bear the weight of a person through the trunk while balancing that trunk’s weight upon the arms and toes. It takes the work out of the back and the legs. Planks are a type of push up that work the same muscles but can be done by people not yet strong enough in the upper regions to do regular push ups.
When the core of a person is strong, there is no need to worry about muscular or skeletal alignment. A strong core naturally keeps the rest of the body in line. Successful rehabilitation depends upon whether or not a person’s core is strong enough to carry him/her throughout the recovery process.
