Core Strength Made Simple: Expert Physical Therapy Tips
Is back pain making standing tall more difficult? Have you noticed you don’t feel as balanced as you once used to? What’s the connection? These are both signs that may indicate core muscle weakness. At Anders and Associates Physical Therapy, our physical therapists can help you figure out if your core is affecting your condition and, if so, how to get it strong again!
Your core muscles help you do a lot — from sitting to standing to getting up and down from chairs. A strong core allows smooth, coordinated actions, thus impacting almost every activity you do every day. If your core muscles are weak, they may affect your function and possibly your pain levels.
It’s important to note that core muscles are not just important for physical fitness but are also essential to the overall quality of life. Our physical therapists understand the importance of core strength and will assess you to determine if it’s affecting your daily activities. With our expert guidance, you’ll learn how to engage your muscles in how they were designed to move!
Contact us today to set up an appointment or learn more about how our team can help you strengthen your core!
What Is the “Core”?
When most people think of core muscles, they immediately think of the abdominals. However, the core muscles comprise the lower back, hip, pelvis, pelvic floor, and even the diaphragm muscle.
Significant weakness in the core will often lead to compensations and straining of different body areas, most commonly the back and neck muscles. As a result, this leads to undesirable consequences, such as poor posture, fatigue, or pain.
The muscles that make up your core are designed to help stabilize your body, support your posture, ensure your balance, and support movements in all directions. If any of these muscles are weak, injured, or used inappropriately, your trunk becomes unstable, making it difficult for your body to function correctly.
The core assists in almost every movement, from bending down to picking up an object to standing up straight. It also plays a significant role in breathing, lifting a heavy object, twisting your body, or even just walking. Core strength is also essential in sports performances, allowing the body to balance and control movements while running, jumping, and sustaining contact. A strong core enhances power, speed, coordination, and agility with all sports and recreational pursuits. It also can help reduce the risk of injuries and may help to prevent chronic lower back pain.
A strong core is vital to your overall health, functional movement, and athletic performance. Proper core training helps maintain spine health, ensures optimal performance in your daily life, and can help prevent various injuries.
Building Core Strength with Expert Guidance
Physical therapy is a great starting point for building your core strength. Our licensed therapists will conduct a detailed evaluation to identify the underlying muscle weaknesses and strategies to strengthen them.
Whether you feel pain in your back, neck, shoulders, or legs, we will thoroughly analyze your posture, movement patterns, and strength, pinpointing the exact cause of the pain. From there, we will create an individualized treatment plan for you based on your specific needs to strengthen your core, improve your posture, and alleviate pain.
Core stability is about both muscular strength and proper sensory input. This sensory input informs the central nervous system about your body’s movements and positions to facilitate specific actions, ensuring your body reacts appropriately. When functioning properly, our body can perform the most basic tasks and advanced athletic activities.
Our therapists will design a program to teach you how to use your core muscles properly. We will create a strength program focusing on core-specific exercises and progressing to multi-joint free-weight exercises for comprehensive core muscle training. You can anticipate continuous feedback and guidance for fine-tuning your movements to ensure optimal spinal stabilization through a strong core.
Book Your Appointment at Anders and Associates Physical Therapy Today!
Our physical therapy team will assess your condition to identify how your core affects your function. We’ll educate you on how your core affects your physical activity and contributes to the pain you may be experiencing. Our individualized exercise programs can reduce your pain and improve your overall quality of life!
Call us today to set up an appointment!
Your Progress Matters To Us!
Return to Anders and Associates Physical Therapy and Let’s Continue Your Journey to Wellness Together. Schedule Your Appointment Now!
New Location Alert!
We are excited to announce the opening of our new Physical Therapy location at 6620 Sky Pointe Drive, Suite 130, Las Vegas, NV 89131! This expansion reflects our ongoing commitment to providing accessible, high-quality care to our community. At our new facility, you’ll find the same exceptional therapy services designed to help you recover, improve mobility, and enhance your overall well-being. We look forward to serving you at this new convenient location!
Quick & Easy Healthy Recipe
Paleo Gluten Free Stuffing
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Mix together ingredients for turkey sausage in a large bowl. Add butternut squash and brussels sprouts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add turkey sausage and break up with a slotted spoon, cooking about 5-7 minutes until just browned. Remove turkey from skillet and add in onions, celery, red pepper and apple, then drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 7-8 minutes until veggies soften. Add turkey sausage back to skillet with other veggies. Add cooked squash and Brussels sprouts. Add that to the skillet along with rosemary and sage and saute another 2-3 minutes, stirring everything very well.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small butternut squash, diced
- 2 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 apple, sliced and diced into small pieces
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Turkey Sausage:
- 1 lb Ground chicken or turkey
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Our Patients Get Great Results
“Wow impressed, very personable physical therapist and staff. Knowledgeable and thorough. Highly recommend!”
– September M.
Staff Spotlight
Michelle Webster, PTA
Hello, my name is Michelle and I am currently a Graduate of Physical Therapy from Pima Medical Institute with my Associate of Occupational Science Degree in Physical Therapist Assistant. I retired from the United States Air Force after 20 years of service. I love what I do helping patients rehabilitate from whatever injury they have, help them get better, achieve their goals, and get them back to their everyday life.. In my free time I like to go camping and be with my family.
Exercise of the Month
Cat/Cow Stretch
1 Set | 1 Rep | 2 Minute Hold
Begin on all fours. Place your hands below your shoulders and your knees below your hips. Arch your back towards the sky and bring your face towards your chest. Return to starting position. Now arch your back toward the ground and raise your face toward the sky. Alternate and repeat as directed by your provider.
3 Ways to Practice Gratitude
Did you know that being grateful is actually good for your health? It’s true!
We all love Thanksgiving for the excellent food, football, and time spent with family, but truthfully, this holiday means much more. Practicing gratitude can lead to greater happiness all year long.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
If you want to implement more gratitude in your own life, take a look at these 3 tips.
1. Write thank you letters
Remember writing thank you letters? How long has it been since you wrote one? You don’t need to have a wedding, graduation, or other big life event to thank the people in your life. Try writing thank you letters to your friends and family for the little things– you’ll be surprised at how good it feels!
2. Write down what you are grateful for every day
This might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Take a few minutes each morning or evening to write down at least 3 things that you are grateful for in your life. This repeated action helps us shift into a more positive mindset and can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety.
3. Use visual reminders
It can be hard to remember to practice gratitude. With your hectic schedule, sometimes it can feel impossible to sit down, take a moment to breathe, and reflect on your blessings. Visual cues can be a great tool for reminding us to take a beat.
Something as simple as sticky notes, a poster, or even your home screen on your phone or laptop can help us remember to slow down and shift to a positive mindset.
Boost Your Game with Injury Prevention Tips!
At Anders and Associates Physical Therapy, we are totally focused on helping athletes like you get back on track if you’ve had a recent injury. We check out what’s causing any aches or trouble moving so we can figure out the best way to help you.
We’ll also guide you through the steps to prevent injuries and ensure you are getting stronger and ready to return to the sport you love so much.
Here Are Our Top Tips to Help You Stay Injury-Free:
- Sleep: Getting plenty of sleep is a big deal. Studies show that good sleep can help prevent injuries.
- Strength Training: This is a great way to build strong muscles that can help keep you safe while playing.
- Nutrition: Eating balanced meals is essential for staying healthy and avoiding injuries.
- Hydration: Drinking enough water is critical for helping you recover and keeping injuries away.
- Avoiding Fatigue: Making sure not to overdo it and giving yourself breaks is vital to stay away from injuries.
Our goal is to help you return to your training and competition, using targeted exercises that help prevent any injuries. We’re here to help you face your sport’s challenges with more strength and confidence!
Meet Our Team
Kyra Moore
PT Technician
Jazmine Adame
PT Technician
Danesha Roberts
Front Office Manager
