Posture and Core Stability Flashcards
What two factors must be balanced to achieve good posture?
Flexibility and stability
What are the two primary types of posture?
Static and dynamic
What are the seven passive postural control mechanisms?
- Bones
- Ligaments
- Joint capsules
- Connective tissue
- Spinal discs
- Cartilage
- Fascia
What controls posture actively by expending energy?
Skeletal muscles (local and global)
What are the neural posture control mechanisms?
Nerves and sensory receptors
Where is the COG in a perfectly aligned body?
Deep in the pelvic region, slightly anterior and between the first and second sacral vertebrae
What is lordosis?
An exaggerated curvature of the lumbar spine
Which muscles may need to be stretched in a lordotic person?
- Hip flexors
- Erector Spinae
- Quadratus lumborum
Which muscles may need to be strengthened in a lordotic person?
- Hamstrings
- Gluteals
- Core stabilisers (particularly transverse abdominis)
- Rectus abdominis
What is kyphosis?
An exaggerated curve of the upper thoracic and lower cervical part of the spine
Which muscles may need to be stretched in a kyphotic person?
Pectoralis major and upper trapezius
Which muscles may need to be strengthened in a kyphotic person?
Lower trapezius
How can flat back posture be identified?
Forward leaning and very little shape in the gluteal area.
Which muscles may need to be stretched in a person with flat back posture?
- Hamstrings
- Rectus abdominis
Which muscles may need to be strengthened in a person with flat back posture?
- Erector Spinae
- Hip Flexors (if posterior tilt is present)
What is the difference between sway back posture and lordosis?
A posterior displacement of the thorax
Which muscles may need to be stretched in a person with sway back posture?
- Hamstrings
- Internal obliques
Which muscles may need to be strengthened in a person with sway back posture?
- External obliques
- Hip flexors
What are the core muscles?
- External obliques
- Internal obliques
- Rectus abdominis
- Transverse abdominis
- Erector spinae
- Multifidus
- Quadratus lumborum
What are local muscles?
The deep stabilising muscles
What are global muscles?
The more superficial muscles that produce movement
What is synergistic dominance?
A situation that occurs when dominant muscles become more dominant and weaker muscles become weaker and smaller
What are the three global core muscles?
Erector spinae, rectus abdominis and the external obliques
What is the Thoraco lumbar fascia (TLF)?
A flat sheet of connective tissue that spans the posterior surface of the lumbar and lower thoracic spine
What are the two groups of muscle which make up the pelvic floor?
Levator ani and coccygeus
When is core stability training not reccommended?
Any positive answer on the PAR-Q, hypertension (140/100 mmHg) or a resting pulse of more than 100 BPM
