Balance is the ability to control one’s body either in a stationary position or while moving
Therefore:
Balance = Control
The muscles that are in charge of controlling our bodies and movement are our core muscles.
Therefore:
Balance = Core muscle control
Our Core muscles are stabilizers
Therefore:
Balance equals Stability
Note that we have core muscles in every joint they are:
- Deep
- One Joint muscle
- Oriented in a diagonal fashion
- Rotators
Reason’s why core muscles stop working:
- Inflammation/Trauma: For every cubic centimeter of inflammation a muscle shuts down by 1 percent.
- Alignment: “Alignment dictates function” due to the Length Tension Ratio which states that a muscle will contract with greatest vigor when it is at a particular length.
- Upper Motor Neuron Disease/Injury: Including; Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, TBI, etc…
- Lower Motor Neuron Disase/Injury: Including; Radiculopathy, Neuropathy, Compression
- Severe Atrophy: Someone who has been severely weaken by immobility due to coma, bed rest, inactivity, disease.
The key to treating Balance is to identify the factor or factors causing your patient to have poor core muscle function:
- Inflammation/Trauma: Exercise to train core muscles, (see below)
- Alignment: Release, Reposition, Re educate or Reposition/Re educate
- Upper and Lower Motor Neuron Disease/Injury: Remove Cause of disease if possible, treat symptoms with facilitation techniques, address possible alignment and inflammatory issues, and re educate.
- Severe Atrophy: Re education and training (see below)
To train these muscles appropriately we are required to perform an isometric contraction ideally in a rotational direction for a sustained period of time
- Are isometric in nature
- Resist a rotational movement
- Sustain a contraction for a period of time, up to a minute
Next entry will provide examples for Core muscle training of the lower extremities and abdominal core in Standing, Sitting and Supine.
