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From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 02 May 2000 04:12
Subject: ISOLATION PHILOSOPHY
> The therapeutic and fitness training worlds still seem to place a heavy
> emphasis on an isolationist approach to physical testing and conditioning,
> without carefully identifying the situational limitations and scope
whenever
> such as approach is used.
>
> Attempts are made to test and train muscles individually. Few days pass
> without comments being made on isolating the upper or lower abdominals for
> training, selectively training the core of the body, activating
transversus
> abdominis to 'stabilise the trunk', testing for weaknesses or imbalances
in
> certain muscle groups or explaining poor performance or injury on the
basis
> of imbalance in some isolated system of the body.
>
> The body constitutes a linked system and, unless the scope and limitations
of
> any given isolationist approach is meticulously identified, it is
misleading
> and unwarranted to use and extrapolate findings based on isolationist
> methods. If one unquestioningly applies isolationist methods, then it is
> being assumed that the isolated area concerned constitutes a closed
system.
> This implies further that this isolated system is not affected by or does
not
> affect what happens in adjacent or other linked systems, or at least that
any
> such interaction with other systems is insignificant.
>
> The trunk, abdominals, lower extremity, knee and so forth are not closed
> systems and any action involving these subsystems influences what is
> happening in all parts of the body and the body as a whole. It is vital
that
> the body be regarded in terms of a systems theoretical approach, rather
than
> one which makes very tenuous assumptions about the closedness of
> conveniently isolated subsystems whose apparent isolation from other
systems
> invariably is based entirely on convenience or convenience.
>
> Even if one attempts to apply a systems theoretical approach, it may still
be
> inadequate to regard the entire body as the superordinate closed system,
as
> is implied, for instance, by the current somewhat simplistic emphasis on
> so-called "core training". The limitations of the latter concept may
readily
> be noticed if one observes that it is very rare in land-based sport for
core
> stability to be manifested in the absence of contact with the ground or
> external objects. Peripheral stability, which usually is reliant on solid
> contact between the extremities of the body with some surface, is
essential
> before core stability becomes implicated in a given sporting action on
land.
>
> Without adequate peripheral stabilisation, the functional capabilities of
the
> "core" are meaningless. The entire body or the body-surface constitutes
the
> appropriate closed system for our attention. Thus, if terms such as "core
> stabilisation" are to be used, then they need to be carefully applied
within
> the appropriate context.
>
> This is not to negate the value of approaches that use isolationist
> approaches for valid therapeutic or analytical reasons, such as those
> involving EMG mediated biofeedback, "Kegel" exercises, and post surgical
> respiratory exercises, but it is to stress that the unqualified
application
> of isolationist approaches to sports conditioning needs to be viewed with
> careful circumspection.
>
> If we do so, then we may also become far more careful to avoid referring
> rigidly to certain muscles as stabilisers, movers, agonist, antagonists,
> flexors, adductors and so on, instead choosing to refer to the
stabilising,
> moving, agonistic, antagonistic, flexor and adduction roles of a muscle
> during any given phase of a specific motor action.
>
> Dr Mel C Siff
> Denver, USA
> [log in to unmask]
Dear Dr Siff
I find your comments interesting - but take a long time to read and owrk
through!
My general comments on "core stability" or "Pilates" is that they do look at
the whole ie they look at the quality of movement of all parts of the
body - and don't permit progression on to the next degree of complexity or
difficulty until the lower level has been acheived. The theory being that
joints are allowed to work in their optimum position and muscles and their
optimum length. In this way neural circuitry is "reprogrammed" and when the
body performs at a higher level eg during sport, automatic function kicks in
and "conscious activation" is no longer required.
Similar approaches are used on chronic pain management programmes with a
graduated return to exercise and function - and are even used when learning
to play the piano or drive a car!
Linda K
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