Frequently Asked Questions

I have chronic low back pain
Are sit ups useful for building core stability?
Are there any limitations of I.A.S?
Does Core stability supercede all other forms of back pain treatment?
Who needs Core Stabilty?
I don't have back pain - do I still need Core Stability?
Is there scientific research to back this up?

I have chronic low back pain, my doctor can only prescribe anti-inflammatories, he says surgery won't help, and I am desperate.

This is a common presentation to Physioworks. Only 1% of back pain results in surgery, and yet 80% of workers in the UK will take time off with back pain. Back pain has overtaken the common cold as the leading cause of work absenteeism.

Low back pain sufferers seek many forms of treatment, including manipulation, mobilisation, soft tissue work and acupuncture. Many of these treatments may have positive effects, but often provide only symptomatic and often short-term relief. What is required is a cohesive strategy that not only provides symptom reduction but actually holds the injured or weak spine in place.

Research in the early 1990s suggested that any exercise helps low back pain. This is why the National Back Pain Association created their Back Watchers exercise programme. Research, from Queensland, Australia, suggests that precise gentle exercise of the corset muscle, transversus abdominus, acts as the foundation of a low back pain control strategy called core stability.
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Are sit ups useful for building core stability?

While sit ups are important for creating dynamic movement strength they may actually hinder the development of correct stabilisation of the spine. The excessive forward bend of the spine that sit ups can cause may aggravate some low back syndromes.

The body uses it's strongest muscles for many tasks. If the sit up muscle, rectus abdominus, is strong it may exaggerate the lack of balance between the abdominal muscles. Gentle exercise without over using the rectus abdominus is a key component of this concept.

Once subtle control of the corset muscle has been taught and practised the Queensland research suggests that fine placement of the individual vertebrae in the spine can lead to a decrease in symptoms.
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Are there any limitations of I.A.S?

I.A.S is one tool of many that Physioworks chartered physiotherapists use to help explain this concept of low back pain treatment. Unfortunately the ultrasound image can occasionally be degraded by fatty tissue, so sometimes the image is not as clear as would be hoped, though other techniques can be employed to explain the concept.
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Does Core stability supercede all other forms of back pain treatment?

Core stability should be regarded as a foundation for other treatments, though quite often clients with low back pain have tried everything else before. Gentle core stability exercises may be the only treatment. It is common to receive symptom relieving treatment, such as mobilisation of the joints of the spine, along with stability work.
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Who needs Core Stabilty?

•  those suffering low back pain
•  those with poor posture
•  those with sedentary jobs
•  those wanting to return to exercise safely
•  those who have abdominal muscle tone problems as a result of pregnancy or surgery
•  those with a history of back pain in the family

I don't have back pain - do I still need Core Stability?

Yes! Prevention of back pain is a major benefit of core stability.
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Is there scientific research to back this up?

This concept is based predominantly on the work on the work of the Spinal Pain Research Group, University of Queensland, Australia.
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