Fitness Friday

Weak Abdominal Muscles Are At The "Core" Of Back Problems For Runners

Chronic back problems are an issue that often stymies runners' attempts at keeping healthy. New research from Ohio State University has revealed, however, that deep core muscles that are weak are often at fault for your sore back.

Runners, especially long distance runners, may often experience back pain after long bouts of training. This pain often hinders the runner's ability to keep their normal race pace, and may even affect their daily lives. Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have conducted research that has found that deep core muscles may often be the culprit of this back pain. The researchers conducted a study in which motion detection technology and force floor measuring plates were utilized to isolate and estimate certain muscle movements during activity. The researchers were able to virtually turn off certain muscles and see how the body compensated in reaction to the virtual muscle exhaustion. The conclusion of their study found that weak core muscles resulted in faster exhaustion and reliance on superficial muscles such as the abdominals and other back muscles along with increased strain on hip flexors. The leads on the research team recommended planking exercises on an unstable surface, which can be found below (Recommended 3 sets of 15-45 seconds per exercise. Stop if you have any pain especially in the back, as all work should be felt in the core):