Core stability is important in running to help avoid injury - Sarah Connors, ASICS PRO Team Physiotherapist, explainsCore stability is important in running to help avoid injury - Sarah Connors, ASICS PRO Team Physiotherapist, explains:
Runners just run! This tends to be the case until injury strikes and then what they do and how their body functions is reassessed.
Core exercises are a key part of runners training as this is strengthening the bit in the middle that holds the back straight and the pelvis still and keeps the posture correct. This can prevent injuries and just as importantly optimise performance by preventing fatigue. Who hasn’t got towards the end of a race feeling like they can’t lift their legs and hold prevent the pelvis dropping? I find the basic core muscles are switched off by injury fatigue and poor posture, even in the elite athlete.
Before we talk about what to do lets see what the core is:
Put simply, the core comprises the ‘bits in the middle’ of the body - the trunk and pelvic area - which are supported and stabilised by special muscles called ‘stabilisers’. Their job is to maintain neutral posture and resist gravity, both at rest and during movement. The main core stabilisers are the deep-set transversus abdominis (TA), a muscle which sits beneath your ‘six-pack’ and wraps all around the midriff like a corset; the bottom or gluteal muscles, (especially the glute medius) and the muscles of the lower back. Each has its own specific role, but collectively they act as a cylinder to stabilise the spine and pelvis.
If these muscles don’t work then the key movers of the body e.g. the hamstring take on the stabilising role as well as their main role of moving the leg. This overloads the muscle and can result in injury.
What to do, initially the stabilisers need to be switched on, then the exercises are progressed to further strengthen the body and become more sport specific.
