The Times on Tuesday 10 August published an article about how exercise scientists were doubting the need to have a strong core.  Pilates particularly is based around the principles that a strong core is the key to better posture and a life free from backpain.

The Times journalist Peta Bee questioned whether too much emphasis could in fact cause problems rather than solve them.  Obviously being interested in all things that can help and prevent backpain, it was interesting to read an article which argues against core stability exercises.

We found this interesting rebuttal of the article by Glenn Withers.  http://www.ausphysio.com/info/media.aspx?article=26, where he argues the article doesn’t include all the research in the area, and that actually core stability work does still have a place in today’s exercise routines.

Our view is that the article maybe concentrated too much in one area.  We don’t believe that people with backpain should look for just one solution i.e. just doing core stability exercises, in fact most of our clients find that it’s a combination of factors that can reduce backpain.  Exercise is just one factor.   Lifestyle, working habits and stress levels are all factors, and often all need to be considered when people are reviewing why they are suffering with backpain.

People often start the process with treatment, and it often becomes a cycle – get treated, feel fine for awhile and then because nothing else has changed then the problem reoccurs.  So then you have to look at changing your environment, which is often the way you work.

When people buy a new ergonomic chair from us, we often advise that this isn’t an instant cure.  The ergonomic chair still needs to be set up correctly, the desk it’s being used at needs to be set up correctly and if you are using a laptop it’s essential to have it on a laptop stand.  The next bit of the puzzle is to look at long term strengthening of your back, and that’s where we believe that exercise can help.

So to refer back to the article, actually if you only focus on one area such as core stability then you could be causing problems but if you think of core stability as one of the building blocks, it’s far more likely to be successful.