Health & Safety Resources
FAQ: Core Strengthening
What is the “core”?
The core is where the human body’s center of gravity is located. The core musculature provides the foundation for all movement. Trunk, pelvic and shoulder girdle muscles make up the core. The larger core muscles include the back muscles, abdominals, and hip muscles (gluteals). Smaller core muscles include those between the vertebrae of the spine, the rotator cuff, and hip rotators.
Why are strong core muscles important?
Strong core muscles help provide the athlete with shock absorption (deceleration), balance (stabilization), and force production (acceleration). Maximizing performance of these muscles can improve the athlete’s ability to generate more power, improve speed, balance, and agility, and to react to game situations quickly. Strong core muscles also assist in preventing injuries due to collisions, year round training, and help protect athletes who compete in a single sport.
How does the core work to help the athlete?
Large and small core muscles help hold the spine in the position of power. This allows for transfer of forces between the arms and the ground. For a baseball pitcher, this allows them to transfer force from the ground into his arm and generate velocity while throwing. Strong core muscles enable an athlete’s arms and legs to work independently and efficiently. Inefficient movement leads to predictable patterns of injury, i.e. hamstring strain in track athletes, and groin strain in hockey players. A weak core with strong arms and/or legs does not allow maximum force to be developed during sporting activities
Which sports require the athlete to have strong core muscles?
Any athlete will benefit from core strengthening exercises. An athlete’s core can never be too strong.
How can you tell if an athlete may need to work on core strengthening exercises?
The athlete has a nagging injury that will not resolve:
- Recurrent injuries of a similar type
- If, during the course of competition, the athlete fatigues, and loses proper form
- Pain that is present during their sport but not during regular daily activities. (This may progress to the point of being present during daily activities.)
- Inability to perform an abdominal curl up
- Inability to perform 10 push-ups with a “neutral” spine
- Inability to perform a single leg squat and maintain an upright posture:
-Knee over the toe
-Level pelvis
-No loss of balance
-Minimal use of arms for balance
When would an athlete benefit from a medical professional assisting them with a core strengthening program?
An athlete will benefit from a medical consultation if they have a nagging injury that will not resolve, a recurrent injury of the same or related areas, or multiple areas of injury. They may benefit from a core strengthening program or a performance enhancement program if fatigue affects the athlete’s ability to carry out their sport with proper form, if the athlete is unable to perform a push up, a curl up, or a single leg squat as described above, or if the athlete has generalized low back pain.
For more information on this article or for priority appointments for sports injuries please contact Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine at 313 972-4216.
Henry Ford Health System’s Center for Athletic Medicine offers a comprehensive approach to sports medicine, including surgical and non-surgical care, sports rehabilitation, injury prevention, and performance enhancement programs. The HFHS treatment team includes sports medicine fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine fellowship trained primary care physicians, as well as certified athletic trainers and physical therapists. These health care professionals are supported by the HFHS nationally recognized bone and joint research facility, including the prestigious Herrick Davis Motion Analysis Lab. HFHS is proud to be health care providers to the Detroit area’s premier sports programs including professional, collegiate, and high school athletes.
