KNOW YOUR CORE
CORE MUSCLES STABILITY.
In the age of slim, lean, thin, being the raw trend, we often miss out on the strength aspect of our bodies. From children to adolescents to adults prime importance is given to weight loss. Physical fitness, endurance and strength is seldom valued.
Not just adults but even children have not been left aback from the ill effects of poor muscular strength. Poor strength adds to further complications related to bones, muscles and ligaments. Postural instability is no longer the concern of the senior group of population alone.
How does it all work? How can a child have weak muscles ?
Lets get a little deeper into the concept.
In many cases toddlers are said to have weak core because of inadequate tummy time during early infancy. At times we as adults don't allow the child to explore the environment by simply lifting them every now and then and also by the fear of getting hurt or injured.
WHAT ARE CORE MUSCLES?
Core muscles include not just the abdominal muscles but also the muscles of the back, hip and pelvis. Core strength is the development of the torso muscles that stabilize, align the trunk so as to allow free movement of the limbs. Building a stronger core ensures a stronger foundation for your child with respect to better posture, enhanced mobility, qualitative attention span and lesser physical injuries in the later stages of life.
HOW WOULD I KNOW IF MY CHILD HAS WEAK CORE MUSCLES?
Here are some tips and tricks to identify the risk zones for your child:-
Slumping while standing or sitting on a chair.
Leaning head on hand, desk or furniture in most of the instances while writing or reading.
Avoiding gross motor activities (sports, outdoor games)
Getting fidgety, having difficulty sitting and paying attention.
Difficulty in fine motor activities (writing)
Difficulty in rollin, cruzing, walking, crawling.
Difficulty in transitioning from one position to another
Low on endurance in motor tasks
Difficulty with bilateral coordination.
WHY IS CORE STRENGTH IMPORTANT?
The main function of the core is to stabilize the trunk while the arms and legs move. This leads to better balance and stability whether on the playing field or in day to day activities. In fact most of the sports or activities of daily living are dependent on stable core.
The two major function of the core muscles are-
To spare the spine from excessive load.
To transfer force from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa.
Having stronger core prevents a series of muscular, tendinous or even bony injuries.
HOW DO WEAK CORE MUSCLES AFFECT OTHER ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT?
Core muscle weakness is not restricted to just the motor development of the individual. As we know and strongly believe that all our body systems are a team and need to work in unison to ensure efficient functioning of each other. So what possible aspects of development are likely to be obstructed due weaker core?
SPEECH
Functional speech is the ability to independently communicate meaningful information back and forth with a partner. In order to develop functional speech following building blocks are necessary:
Attention.
Motivation.
Engagement
Imitation.
Coordination of respiration, phonation and articulation
It takes the right balance of muscles in order for a child to sit- even for short amounts of time. Core weakness can also contribute to difficulty with the breath support needed for speech production. Chances are if the child has weakness of oral structures (lips, jaws, tongue), it could be due to weak core which provide stability and control for smaller muscles to work effectively
2. LEARNING
Having a stable base of support improves the ability to use the hands for fine motor activities like writing, cutting, painting etc. Core strength is extremely so that the child can have improved attention span. Lower levels of muscular stability makes it difficult for the child to maintain an upright posture and thus spend a lot of time adapting their body position to compensate, impacting on their ability to attend to tasks.
- MYTHS and FACTS
- Core means only abdominal muscles.
- Bigger bellies are a sign of good health.
- Daily rigorous training of core muscles makes them strong.
- Abs crunches will give you best core.
- FACTS
- Core involves muscles of back, abdomen, pelvic floor, hips.
- Bigger bellies are an indication of poor core muscles.
- Excessively training the core muscles renders them weak due to fatigue.
- Abs crunches will train only the superficial abdominal muscles.
HOME BASED ACTIVITIES FOR STRONGER CORE.
Completing worksheets against the wall.
Lying on tummy, propped up on elbows and coloring.
Lying on back, propped up on elbows and kicking ball.
Sit on therapy ball and sway.
Superman pose.
Bridge pose.
Wheelbarrow walking.
Animal walks like crab, bear and snake slides.
Monkey bars climbing.
Swimming.
Encourage correct sitting posture.
- EXERCISES
References :
1. J Phys Ther Sci. 2018 August; article on relationship between core strength and stability.
2. Willson J.D., Dougherty P., Ireland M.L. and Mcclay Davis I., Core stability and its relationship to lower extremity function and injury, American academy of orthopaedic surgeons, 2005
3. Websites:
Strength and growth comes through continuous efforts and struggle........
Dr. Maria Jennifer Saldanha (P.T.)
(B.P.T., C.A.F.T.I.)
For online consultation call or WhatsApp
+91 845494
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