Q&A with Dr. D: Why are stabilizing muscles important?

Last month I was asked to answer a few questions for a outdoor activities magazine on the East Coast, and I thought that my response would make a great first blog post as it could be very beneficial for anyone, not just people who run and hike.  

"Why are stabilizing muscles important?" 

 

First, lets name the muscles that I would consider "Primary" Stabilizers: Internal and External Obliques, Quadratus Lumborum, Rectus Abdominis, the Erector Spinae group (the low back extensors), Transverse Abdominis,  Multifidus, and the most important of them all the Diaphragm. There are other muscles that I would consider to be part of the "Core", but for the sake of the article we will focus on these. The reason diaphragmatic (belly) breathing is so important is that during activity (or even everyday task) if an individual is not using their diaphragm to breath, and they are using the secondary muscles to breath, they are truly not maximizing their lung capacity which will decrease their performance. Also, if an individual is using the secondary muscles to breath, and are what we call "Apical Breathers", dysfunction tends to arise in the neck and shoulder regions. A proper breath would have the belly button go out and down with an expansion of the lower torso in 360 degrees. 

Now someone may ask, how do I strengthen the muscle you just named, Doc? My answer would be you DO NOT want to strengthen them first! The key is to create ENDURANCE in the muscle BEFORE strength! This could not be more beneficial to the population that are avid hikers especially when talking about the low back extensor group. Having the ability to hold your upright posture for long grueling walks or hikes is very important in avoiding injury. A great exercise for this is called the Bird-Dog (YouTube: McGill Bird-Dog for example). This may look like a wimpy exercise at first, but once the movement is correct it creates a high contraction of the muscles that are aimed and it keeps a low load on the other tissues of the low back to help decrease injury. An exercise I would stay away from is the Roman Chair exercise. This should only be done with VERY high level athletes and the research shows that the compression it places on the spine is more injurious than beneficial.
 

The Quadratus Lumborum is very important for carrying heavy loads. A great way to train this muscle is with the side plank. The key is to create endurance, so holding for time is important. DO NOT drop your pelvis to the floor and raise up during this exercise, this is a static exercise. A more advanced way of training this muscle is doing an asymmetric farmer’s walk or performing a suitcase carry. You have to make sure you do not have any issues with a disc herniation or other spinal injuries before performing this exercise with weight. 

Moving on to the remaining muscles of the core (Internal and External Obliques, Rectus Abdominis, Transverse Abdominis). These muscles are made to STOP motion and TRANSMIT force NOT create it!!! Training these muscles while putting the spine through a range of motion is really a poor training practice. I know this goes against most peoples thinking on abdominal and core training but the research shows that your typical exercises,  full curl-ups, sit-ups, Russian twist, leg lifts, etc., put an unreal amount of unnecessary load on the spine and its tissues more specifically the lumbar disc. When the spine is flexed forward repeatedly or twisted repeatedly the lumbar disc will be damaged. Now if you put the spine through these ranges of motion and add load (weight) the disc will damage even sooner! Instead of the typical core exercises try exercises that have a low pressure on the spine like planks, side planks, stir the pot on a Swiss Ball, and the McGill Curl-up. All of these place less pressure on the spine and there is still a very high contraction of the targeted muscles. There are also more advanced exercises that still have low pressure on the spine and you can contact me for them if you want.

My next point is very important for your readers. If they have been told to "draw in your stomach" (AKA Abdominal Hollowing) before they lift, run, or perform any task DO NOT DO THIS!!!! This decreases performance and spinal stability. This belief that Abdominal Hollowing will help the individual is false and anyone who says otherwise needs a slap on the wrist. All research shows that Abdominal Bracing, 360 degree stiffening of the core (as if you are about to take a punch to the gut), is the most beneficial to a person before they perform a lift (like a heavy pack!). This topic good a lot deeper. Contact me if interested. 

Thanks for reading, and again contact me for more information on stabilizing muscles and how these concepts can apply to your every day life:

Email me: drd@maxperformchiro.com

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