Core Strength Made Simple: Expert Physical Therapy Tips
Is back pain making standing tall more difficult? Have you noticed you don’t feel as balanced as you once used to? What’s the connection? These are both signs that may indicate core muscle weakness. At Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services, our physical therapists can help you figure out if your core is affecting your condition and, if so, how to get it strong again!
Your core muscles help you do a lot — from sitting to standing to getting up and down from chairs. A strong core allows smooth, coordinated actions, thus impacting almost every activity you do every day. If your core muscles are weak, they may affect your function and possibly your pain levels.
It’s important to note that core muscles are not just important for physical fitness but are also essential to the overall quality of life. Our physical therapists understand the importance of core strength and will assess you to determine if it’s affecting your daily activities. With our expert guidance, you’ll learn how to engage your muscles in how they were designed to move!
Contact us today to set up an appointment or learn more about how our team can help you strengthen your core!
What Is the “Core”?
When most people think of core muscles, they immediately think of the abdominals. However, the core muscles comprise the lower back, hip, pelvis, pelvic floor, and even the diaphragm muscle.
Significant weakness in the core will often lead to compensations and straining of different body areas, most commonly the back and neck muscles. As a result, this leads to undesirable consequences, such as poor posture, fatigue, or pain.
The muscles that make up your core are designed to help stabilize your body, support your posture, ensure your balance, and support movements in all directions. If any of these muscles are weak, injured, or used inappropriately, your trunk becomes unstable, making it difficult for your body to function correctly.
The core assists in almost every movement, from bending down to picking up an object to standing up straight. It also plays a significant role in breathing, lifting a heavy object, twisting your body, or even just walking. Core strength is also essential in sports performances, allowing the body to balance and control movements while running, jumping, and sustaining contact. A strong core enhances power, speed, coordination, and agility with all sports and recreational pursuits. It also can help reduce the risk of injuries and may help to prevent chronic lower back pain.
A strong core is vital to your overall health, functional movement, and athletic performance. Proper core training helps maintain spine health, ensures optimal performance in your daily life, and can help prevent various injuries.
“I’ve been coming to Santa Clarita Therapy Services for a few months now for lower back pain—my first-ever PT experience. The help I’ve received has been tremendous! The therapist has helped me immensely, knowing exactly what to do to relieve pain and doing it in a positive, helpful, and caring manner. I actually look forward to coming to the sessions! Also, kudos to the staff at the appointment desk who are helpful, friendly, and always call to remind me of my upcoming appointments.”
– Google 5-Star Review
Building Core Strength with Expert Guidance
Physical therapy is a great starting point for building your core strength. Our licensed therapists will conduct a detailed evaluation to identify the underlying muscle weaknesses and strategies to strengthen them.
Whether you feel pain in your back, neck, shoulders, or legs, we will thoroughly analyze your posture, movement patterns, and strength, pinpointing the exact cause of the pain. From there, we will create an individualized treatment plan for you based on your specific needs to strengthen your core, improve your posture, and alleviate pain.
Core stability is about both muscular strength and proper sensory input. This sensory input informs the central nervous system about your body’s movements and positions to facilitate specific actions, ensuring your body reacts appropriately. When functioning properly, our body can perform the most basic tasks and advanced athletic activities.
Our therapists will design a program to teach you how to use your core muscles properly. We will create a strength program focusing on core-specific exercises and progressing to multi-joint free-weight exercises for comprehensive core muscle training. You can anticipate continuous feedback and guidance for fine-tuning your movements to ensure optimal spinal stabilization through a strong core.
Sources: https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12891-021-04858-6, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6407754/, https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2012/02000/effect_of_core_strength_on_the_measure_of_power_in.8.aspx, https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/6/2/37, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.915259/full
Book Your Appointment at Santa Clarita Valley Therapy Services Today!
Our physical therapy team will assess your condition to identify how your core affects your function. We’ll educate you on how your core affects your physical activity and contributes to the pain you may be experiencing. Our individualized exercise programs can reduce your pain and improve your overall quality of life!
Electrical Stimulation Could Finally Relieve Your Chronic Pain
Have you experienced an accident that has left you with a debilitating pain condition? If so, the solution could be electrical stimulation.
Electrical stimulation is a safe and efficient treatment procedure that may provide pain relief and recovery for you. While it can sound overwhelming, it is in reality a very effective way to relieve pain!
A typical electrical stimulation system uses self-adhesive electrodes that are mounted on the body around the target treatment area. The electrodes are then connected to the device through wire leads, through which electricity can pass through and eventually communicate with sensory and/or motor nerves.
Benefits of Using Electrical Stimulation
The ultimate goals at our Stevenson Ranch, CA physical therapy practice are your comfort, protection, and integrity.
At your initial appointment, in addition to being asked questions about your current condition and medical background, you will undergo a physical examination.
From there, an individualized care plan will be developed by one of our certified physical therapists, based on your personal needs.
If our physical therapist feels you will benefit from electrical stimulation, he or she will explain it in depth and it will be integrated into your care plan.
You will be asked to sit or lie in a comfortable position during an electrical stimulation procedure. The therapist will clean and prepare your skin in the target treatment area, and walk you through the whole treatment step-by-step.
Protein PB & J Smoothie Bowl
- 1/4 cup almond, oat, or milk of your choice
- 2/3 cup frozen blueberries
- 2/3 cup sliced strawberries, frozen
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- Optional toppings: 1 tablespoon melted peanut butter for drizzling, blueberries, chia seeds
Place your milk into the blender. Add frozen fruit, protein powder, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Seal and blend until smooth. Pour out into a bowl. If using, melt the remaining peanut butter in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds and drizzle over the bowl. Add desired toppings. Eat right away with a spoon!
