A strong midrift and good core strength goes a long way to alleviating lower back pain and protecting against back injuries. However, you need to understand what core strength is before you can reap the rewards.
Core strength is the strength of the muscles in our abdominal area and lower back. These muscles are attached to, and support, the spine, pelvis and shoulder blade. We depend on them for good posture and without them we would have no foundation to make movements in our arms and legs.
"Core strength is vital for tasks we do regularly such as lifting. If our core is not properly used, then we risk putting undue stress on our muscles, leading to back injuries and lower back pain," said Pilbara Health manual handling advisor Elaine Kennedy.
There are lots of different exercises that can be done to improve your core strength such as crunches or sit-ups, but they are not entirely effective if used in isolation. It is much more beneficial to combine these with other exercises such as using a fitness ball, medicine balls, balancing discs or stability balls, Pilates and yoga.
Download the physical activity information pack from the Pilbara Health calendar.
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