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“Core” Exercise Program Including Pilates & Yoga

For individuals with back and neck problems the foundation of any exercise or rehabilitation program must involve the “core muscles” of the pelvis, back, abdomen, and chest. This is also referred to as “core stabilization”. These are the muscles that support the spine and significantly influence our posture. You can think of the spine as a tent pole balancing on top of a table called our pelvis, hip joint, and lower extremities. Mother Nature will do everything necessary to keep our heads balanced over our pelvis. This includes changes to our posture, causing certain muscle group to become tighter or more contracted and others to be more stretched or elongated. In many ways, these changes contribute to the development of scoliosis, kyphosis, sway-back posture (or hyperlordosis), or combinations of these.

People with spinal stenosis often have to walk in a flexed forward posture to alleviate the pain. To compensate and to keep the head over the pelvis, people have to bend their hips and knees to pivot their upper body backwards to restore balance. If this does not occur, our heads will be out of balance either forward, sideways, or backwards and we run the risk of losing balance and falling in addition to the development of severe neck and back pain from chronic muscle spasms. Our heads weighs on average 15 pounds! That is like having a 15 pound bowling ball sitting on top of this small stick called our cervical spine or neck. Imagine holding this bowling ball in the palm of your hand all day and the effect it would have on your arm muscles. This is what happens to our spine muscles. Further, walking for long periods of time with our hips and knees slightly bent will accelerate the development of arthritis and other problems involving those joints.

A “core exercise” program is designed to rehabilitate and strengthening our deep spine muscles in order to improve posture, balance, and strength of these muscle groups. This will also involve stretching of chronically tight or spasmed muscles. Various types of core programs are available and should be taught and supervised by a certified and experienced trainer, instructor, or therapist.

The most common approaches include using large exercise balls of different sizes. These devices are good because they can be purchased for home use and are available at most fitness centers and gyms. Over 1,000 exercises can be performed on the balls of varying levels of difficulty and effectiveness.

One of the most popular types of core exercise programs is Pilates. Originally developed over 100 years ago by an immigrant, Joe Pilates, to treat injured workers in New York, it has evolved into a legitimate and very effective form of exercise and conditioning. It is used by professional athletes, dancers, and fitness advocates. It incorporates stretching, strengthening, and aerobic exercise in one activity. Pilates is typically performed at a private studio and supervised by a certified Pilates instructor.

There are many facets to a Pilates program ranging from beginner to advanced. It is extremely important that a person starting out is evaluated and a proper program initiated for their level and underlying condition. The program uses our own muscles, weight, and movement to perform the exercise. In other words, weight machines are not used. The emphasis is on optimal muscle stretching and strengthening in a balanced fashion. By doing this, our upper body will become more balanced, our posture will improve, and significant and chronic pain can be effectively treated. I recommend a “classic” Pilates program following the original teachings and philosophy of Joe Pilates himself. There are several “hybrid” centers that mix Pilates with other forms of exercise. Unless at advanced levels, people with acute or chronic spine conditions should stick to the traditional Pilates program.

Yoga on the other hand is a different form of exercise and rehabilitation. It focuses less on repetitive motion but more on stretching and muscle strengthening. Various poses are utilized to actively stretch certain muscles while strengthening others and vice versa. Again, people with back and neck problems need to be evaluated by a certified Yoga instructor to establish a safe and effective program. Of course there are other beneficial effects of Yoga such as enhanced metabolism and internal organ function along with stress management and relaxation techniques. All of these different approaches to “core stabilization exercises” are safe and effective and for the most part enjoyable to perform with very measurable and predictable results. Like anything involving your health, seek different options and opinions and always work with certified and experienced trainers, instructors, and therapists.

Core Exercises can treat the following conditions:

Sprains and Strains
Degenerative Disc Disease
Spondylolisthesis
Spinal Stenosis