Core Stability: Myth or Magic? What Does It Mean to Pilates Teachers?
There has been a lot of talk about core stability lately, prompted in part by the publication of Professor Eyal Lederman’s paper The Myth of Core Stability and other rumblings in the media about the validity and safety of core training.
On Aug. 10, Peta Bee wrote an article in the London Times (requires payment) stating that the founding principles of Pilates are flawed. Glenn Withers, founder of the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute, followed up four days later by posting an excellent, detailed response on the APPI website. All of these are worth reading to educate yourself on the arguments.
But what does this all mean to you? As a Pilates instructor, you instinctively know that the work is incredibly valuable if taught correctly. But clients who have read these articles may have questions. Nuala Coombs, a founding director of the Pilates Institute UK and owner of The Pilates Consultant, tackles this issue below. We also invite your ideas on how to talk to clients about this issue in the comments section.
Following the publication of the article by Peta Bee, I received several emails from teachers wondering how they would respond to their clients should they refer to the article. My advice was simple. If they don’t mention it, there is no point in bringing it to their attention. For those clients who did not read the article, it will only create confusion. Of course for those clients who have questions, we need to be able to give them clear, satisfactory answers.
The article includes this quote from Professor Lederman: “If you enjoy doing core stability exercise, keep it up. ‘But don’t expect to become immune to injury and don’t expect to improve your fitness if that’s all you do.’”
It’s clear from the comment that the Professor is not someone who teaches exercise, as Pilates teachers we are all well aware that Pilates is only part of a fitness jigsaw.
In his report he concludes that core stability exercises are no more effective than or will not prevent injury more than any other form of exercise—that any benefit comes from the exercise effect, not necessarily cueing the clients to brace or contract their abdominals, as this very complex reaction to movement should be automatic.
As Pilates teachers we realise the exercise programme needs to fit the result we want to achieve. Pilates is a full-body exercise technique that over the years has proven to improve many aspects of health and well being, as well as athletic performance, when used as part of a balanced exercise regime.
Neutral Spine?
There was no mention in the article of the spinal position during exercise, so I contacted Professor Lederman to ask whether or not there was an advantage to taking a neutral spine position during exercise. He said “probably not” as far as stability or strengthening the back was concerned, but that it may be a more comfortable position. His experience is within a clinical setting.
In my experience teaching clients, a neutral spine position is not at all comfortable at first. However, the benefits of drawing clients’ attention to conscious movement, including correct alignment and improved body awareness, can have nothing but positive results.
What to Tell Clients?
To sum up, you can reassure your clients that working as we do to improve postural alignment together with a balanced strengthening of the stabilising muscles—including the transversus abdominis, multifidus, diaphragm, internal and external obliques, quadratus lumborum, and pelvic floor, as well as the more superficial muscles such as rectus abdominis, latissimus dorsi and the back extensors, depending on the exercise being performed—is the most effective way to work toward spinal stability.
It’s All Relative to the Task
It is obvious that in order to work effectively all the musculature must be recruited, and depending on the complexity of the movement more or less will be recruited as appropriate. However, starting from a focussed position of correct postural alignment then adding a gradual progression and layering of muscles as necessary will achieve best performance.
Once again we have confusion brought about by taking a very specific clinical view and attempting to compare it to the broader, practical application when teaching exercise. As Pilates teachers we must keep in mind the objective of our group classes: they are a preventative measure that should not be regarded as rehabilitation even when our clients tell us how much we have helped them.
As far as personal training sessions are concerned, if we have a client who is currently taking medical advice or therapy and we feel outside our skill set, then asking for advice and guidance from their medical professional has always been the way forward.
It is important as professional Pilates teachers that we stay informed. When research and information becomes available we need to understand the implications, if there are any, and act accordingly. If nothing else, the debate that this article has created is healthy, if not frustrating. It only makes us realise that not only are we informed but we are ready to investigate and explore our current thinking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With over 25 years experience in the fitness and Pilates industry, Nuala Coombs has taught hundreds of students worldwide to teach Pilates. She is the author of Golf and Pilates as well as an international presenter and teacher trainer. Based in the south of France, she teaches training programs and workshops and offers career guidance to teachers in training and qualified Pilates teachers at a crossroads in their working life.
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Reader Comments (8)
Hello! Thank you for your post. Although I couldn't open the London Times article, I found your response to their claims quite respectable. In my experience, because professors work in clinical or academic settings often collecting research, they can be limited in the intimate nature of somatic practices such as pilates. AND, because our work is so experiential it is sometimes hard to accurately describe our process and results. The professor mentioned may not understand the benefit of "core stability" or "neutral spine" for that matter because he himself has never felt it. Which, is completely contradictory to how research is conducted. That being said, there are numerous research articles that indicate that "core training" has positive effects. This is especially true with subjects suffering from chronic low back pain.
I think our investigation as pilates teachers is, as you mentioned, to give our clients bodily awareness, a connection to alignment and heightened proprioception. This can be hard in space! Tactile feedback (as with the apparatus) helps tremendously in better organizing those 33 vertebrae which often times aren't properly supported. Performing supine exercises involving spinal/trunk stabilization help inform posture. Our clients feel the mat or ground, learn how to hold the spine, muscles get strengthened, patterns change and at that point the client can learn how to maintain posture while sitting at a desk for 8 hours. Frankly, it's quite genius.
I also think a neutral position is helpful because of our relationship with gravity... I mean gravity has this constant vertical pull and we want to make sure our clients are not hypertonic or hypotonic but that the body has balance. And, yes, this can feel quite awkward at first.
Understanding the body, its mechanics and how to gain better awareness are some of the benefits which you will most likely receive in a pilates session.
I discuss these topics a little more in depth on my blog. If you are interested: http://mindmotion.wordpress.com.
Thanks again! Meghan.
Thanks for this article.I think he was right in saying that we shouldnt be expecting immunity from injury, which has so many different causes ( including degeneration) which we all are not immune to.However, doing any activity without awareness of the core muscles of the body creates a body that is very susceptible to injury. I have seen through my practice in as a physiotherapist that Pilates provides not just core stability, but the awareness of ones posture in all spine positions , preventing one to be in an awkward position predisposing him to injury. It should still be used in conjuction with other forms of exercises/body movement.
There are 26 vertebrae including the sacrum and coccyx, not 33 as the first commenter stated. This is a good example of why objective and educative analysis is important before making claims about the efficacy of something. Clearly there is some value in all movement disciplines, what that value is needs to be more clearly defined at times. The analysis in this case was very straight forward and measurable. Even the Australian Physiotherapists who coined the term "core stability" years ago states that core strength has been overdone to the detriment at times to the individual. So although there are certain benefits to this type of exercise, it is very important that we look more closely at the effect it is having on people, in both scientifically derived settings with measurable effects, as well as clinical settings in practice. How much is this really helping people with back pain, and in what ways is it hurting them in the long and short term alike? Honesty should prevail over marketing, but often economics wins in the end.
Concerned: I'm not sure why I have to clarify myself in this discussion about "core stability." Or for that matter why "33 vertebrae" was even mentioned considering the discussion is on the topic of "core stability." However, because I feel discredited I will reply to your comment. I suppose I'm referring to all of the vertebrae pre-fusion. I guess I mentioned 33 instead of 26 because it added to the eloquence of my argument. It's more a matter of perspective than "objective and educative analysis." Anyway.... I digress... I'm sorry for your concern.
I learned that there are 33 vertebrae in the spine. I have also learned from experience that spines do not always fuse to the standard 26. The times article isn't wrong. I have tested many people for core strength; Pilates or not, It isn't always there.
Well, you mentioned the importance of organizing "the 33 vertebrae of the spine" for proper support... And it is extremely rare that someone has unfused sacral segments in adulthood... extremely rare. So if you're suggesting that you're able to change the alignment of the individual sacral segments, or individual coccyx segments then we've really gone off the deep end.
And considering how many pilates students and teachers alike have flattened their thoracic & cervical spines, and often the lumbars as well (look at Joe himself), I might beg to differ that pilates is properly aligning the spine for support.
If the studies that were done showed a different result/conclusion, one in strong favor of pilates/core stability training, would you all be so quick to dismiss the importance of objective analysis as you are in this case? Or would you be using those study results to your advantage for marketing?
concerned,
I agree with your concern on the marketting but Pilates isnt just about organizing the vertebrae, its also about changing relationships of muscular movement to gravity, hence the equipment and springs.Im sorry but during the early 40's and 50's, Physical therapy and the study of biomechanics didnt exist, hence Joe Pilates pictures. If he would be alive today, he would probably be on the bandwagon of the more "scientific" approach to it.It is not the only way to strengthen the core muscles out there, there are a lot but I find Pilates to be the most rudimentary and the most straightforward core strengthening technique out there.
There was also no suggestion of changing sacral segments, however, there are muscles involved in the lumbopelvic segment ( quadratus lumborum, latissimus,gluteals ) that affect the movement of the SI joint and through its attachment to the core muscles and its pull on certain ligaments on the pelvis and the pelvic floor, nutation and counter-nutation happens.this very slight articulation alone can be of profound effect when combined with a Pilates protocol such as the footwork when correcting an assymetrical leg length discrepancy. I should stop because the list will just go on and on.
One thing is for sure, it takes an intelligent teacher to create an intelligent body. And Joe Pilates is one of them
One should really consult his or her physician before undergoing Pilates training since it concerns many health issues..Is the core stability of the person generally depends on what kind of Pilates position he or she is performing? and what is the safest Pilates position that is safe for all ages?