Core Stability for Runners

By Judith Cooper MSMA

I'm sure you've all heard the phrase, "core stability", increasingly over the past couple of years, but perhaps you've wondered exactly what it means and how it might relate to you as a runner or athlete.

The concept is very simple; the muscles of the human body work together to enable us to move. For any particular movement, one or several muscles will act as the prime mover or agonist. In order to allow the movement, the opposing set of muscles will have to "give" and they are known as the antagonists. Synergists are muscles that allow subtle variation in our movements and the muscles that hold the bones in the correct position to allow movement are the stabilizers.

The stabilizers are absolutely vital in providing a stable foundation from which movement can occur efficiently and without injury; they are generally set deep in the body and are designed for endurance rather than speed or large movements. Unfortunately, they are often neglected during exercise routines and can become weak and stretched if our posture is not quite what is should be. At that stage, other muscles may "step in" to try and do the job of the stabilizers and a pattern of misuse starts to develop.

A good example would be weak gluteal muscles; a problem not uncommon amongst long distance runners. The gluteal muscles (buttock muscles), particularly gluteus medius, are important pelvic stabilisers. It is quite common, however, for weakness in the gluteal muscles to be compensated for by overworked hamstrings, which take on some of the stabilising role of the gluteals. You may stretch and stretch tight hamstrings, but if they are acting as stabilisers as well as mobilisers then no amount of stretching will release them. They will also tend to tilt the pelvis backwards, exerting a pull on the lower back muscles and shortening the hip flexors. Ideally, we want as neutral a pelvis as possible and that will only come from good activity in the stabilising muscles. Perhaps the answer to your tight hamstrings is to develop your gluteal muscles?

Muscle imbalance not only puts strain on the muscles and soft tissues, it also puts strain on the joints, which if pulled out of their neutral position will wear more quickly and cause more problems. Running puts great demands on most of the joints of the body because of the repeated impact, making it even more imperative that those joints are well supported by good core stability.

I've only scratched the surface of a very big topic, but I hope I've given you food for thought. Could a recurring problem have something to do with a lack of core stability? How good is your posture? Are you wearing out your joints faster than need be? Instability in the pelvis can manifest itself as a problem in your hamstring, calf, shin, foot, groin…need I go on?

If you suspect that you may have a problem with core stability or you are puzzled by a persistent problem, then get some advice from one of us at the practice. There are plenty of exercises to help correct muscle imbalance and to strengthen weak stabilisers. Massage works wonders at releasing tight tissues and stimulating weak ones. Pilates is designed specifically to ensure that your muscles work efficiently at their designated role and many sportsmen benefit greatly from regular classes.

Judith Cooper is a Sports Massage Practitioner and a member of the Sports Massage Association (www.thesma.org) She has a clinic at John Honey Physiotherapy in Macclesfield. Phone 01625 500777 for an appointment or reach her on 07932 7944