Are you wanting to strengthen and rehabilitate your core? Working on this muscle group helps stabilize the entire body by supporting the spine and hips. When your core is strong, you’ll find it easier to do almost any movement, whether it’s leaping over hurdles during track and field or loading or emptying the dishwasher.
Of course, underuse or injury can destabilize the core, leading to reduced strength, limited mobility, back pain, and more. That’s where many people turn to core rehab treatments, which aim to restore your core’s power, reactivate these central muscles, and let you use your body to its full potential again. However, like any other form of physical treatment, it’s essential to follow a few best practices.
In this guide, I’ll go over a few tips on how to get the most out of core rehab, ensuring you see the results you deserve while steering clear of setbacks.
Social media is full of accounts looking to grab your attention with promises of workout routines and stretching regimens that will change your life. And while many of these accounts do offer some useful tips, the truth is they’re no replacement for personalized care. If you’re serious about strengthening and rehabilitating your core, it’s always better to rely on a professional who is working with you directly rather than potentially unqualified TikTok trainers or celebrity athletes.
Following the advice of any random YouTube video you come across could result in less-than-ideal results. To avoid this, I always suggest working in person with a professional physiotherapist who will accommodate your needs and adapt their program to your abilities.
Proper form is essential for strengthening your core and preventing injury. Body alignment is especially important—by keeping your shoulders and hips aligned while exercising your core, you’ll greatly reduce the risk of injury. Pay close attention to the exercise instructions you receive from your core rehab physiotherapist. You can also improve your form by doing your first few sessions in front of a mirror or another person, which will make it easier to catch and fix an incorrect form.
We all have our physical strengths and weaknesses to consider as we exercise and strengthen our bodies. Let’s say that you’re working on core rehab because you’ve been dealing with pain in your lower back. Naturally, part of your regimen will involve exercising your back. However, since this is a more vulnerable area, it’s vital that your training is slow, careful, and gradual.
This helps prevent setbacks and keep momentum as you work toward your goals. Because it can be challenging to learn the correct form and techniques for these sensitive areas, it’s always better to get help from a physiotherapist rather than relying on trendy therapy tips you pick up from the Internet.
Working your core shouldn’t be painful. While you might get some lactic acid buildup during more intense moments of exercise (this is the burning sensation that builds up in our muscles when they’re working hard), other types of pain are your sign to stop.
It’s particularly important to stop exercising if you notice pain in your lower back. Double-check your form and try again. If you keep feeling pain, even with the correct form, stop and get help from your core rehab physiotherapist.
It’s only worth doing core exercises with the correct form. Suppose your goal is to do ten reps of a certain exercise, but you begin to get too exhausted around the seventh. It’s far better to stop at seven reps than to push through and do three more with poor form. The little aspects of your performance and technique are the most important parts. Mastering your form and ensuring each repetition is correct before doing more will help you see better results, dramatically reduce the risk of injury, and help you get stronger, faster.
This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to forget in the moment. In order to get the most out of core rehab, you need to keep your core ‘switched on’ while you work it. If you’re not sure how to tell whether your core is engaged, here’s a quick guide:
Your core is so much more than just your abs! In fact, it’s made up of several muscles that span your back and hips, and working these areas is essential for a strong, stable core. That’s why it’s so important to understand the core and to know why you’re doing each exercise. When we can directly associate each motion with the parts of the body the exercise is working on, it’s far easier to align our minds and body throughout the core rehab process, which will help you see better, safer, faster results from your hard work.
Your core rehab program will include plenty of exercises that focus on the lumbar multifidus at the back, transversus abdominis on the sides, and the pelvic floor at the bottom, all while breathing. This ensures the entire core is supported, resulting in better holistic results.
Looking up core rehab online might yield results of complex, expert-level exercises on unstable platforms, such as Bosu balls. While these challenging exercises are great for strengthening your core, it’s not safe to attempt them until you have a certain level of strength or balance. Instead, master exercises like bridges, lunges, and planks on flat, stable ground first. Once you become comfortable holding these positions, you can begin to add challenge through instability.
If you’re ready to feel stronger and more agile, the core is one of the best places to start. Core rehab has the power to help take back your life, however proper form, proper training, and proper implementation are the keys to seeing your desired results.
For people who don’t want to rely on trial and error or the Internet, working with an experienced physiotherapist is the answer. At ProActive Pilates, I create customized treatment plans for each person I work with. We talk about your needs, goals, and current abilities, and develop a roadmap to recovery and core rehabilitation that works for you. Throughout the process, we help you master body alignment and form, get you in tune with your body’s signals, and adapt your treatment plan as you get stronger and more confident.
When done correctly, core rehabilitation is an incredible way to strengthen and stabilize your body from the outside in. Ready to experience it for yourself? Book your initial core rehab assessment today!
