cross section area of TrA

 

Over the last decade, a substantial amount of research has been done into the beneficial effects of core stability (CS) training in patients with back injury or chronic low back pain. CS training however largely depends a number of assumptions that have been made regarding functioning of the trunk muscles, both in normal situations and in the presence of back pain. It is often hypothesized that weakness and inadequately timed activity of the trunk muscles, especially the transversus abdominis (TA), are a factor contributing to the onset and persisting of low back pain – when training the strength and timing of these muscles complaints should therefore resolve. The concept of a distinct functional set of core muscles, exclusively providing stabilization of the trunk, is only anatomical (not functional!) and it is unlikely that training strength and timing of activation of these muscles alone will help to prevent or cure low back pain. Regardless of that, during common CS training, the reached levels of maximum voluntary contraction are far below those necessary to achieve strength gains and motor learning principles such as specificity and the effect of internal focus in training are not taken into account > from Lederman; Bodyworks Movement Therapies 14 (2010) 84-98. All rights reserved to Elsevier Ltd. Picture: all rights reserved to Teyhen et al. 2007.