Aurora Sports Medicine Institute Tips

Cycling-related tips and information written by Andrew Starsky, BSEE, MPT, PhD candidate

• Trunk stability - the core of cycling strength, 4/8/04

Trunk stability - the core of cycling strength

By: Andrew Starsky, BSEE, MPT, PhD candidate
April 8, 2004

The trunk, the core, the foundation - No, we are not talking about a tree, an apple, or a building. These terms refer to the abdominal, lower back (paraspinals), shoulder blade (scapular), and lower abdominal (pelvic) muscle groups of the human body. These muscle groups have received a lot of attention lately with the craze of Pilates, yoga and core stability courses.

The physical therapy and cycling communities have also been paying more attention to these groups lately. The lack of strength and stability, or improper balance between these muscle groups can lead to compensated movement patterns or movements that "make it work," but in an incorrect way. These movement patterns can lead to injury.

Focusing on cycling, the core muscles of importance are those of the trunk and the hips. These muscles are active throughout the pedal stroke to counterbalance the powerful actions of the leg muscles and to provide a stable platform for these muscles to perform.

For example, when the hip is flexed (1), the action of the powerful hip flexor muscle, the psoas, can pull the trunk into an arched or lordotic position (2). This needs to be counterbalanced by the muscles of the back, the paraspinals (3). If the force generated by the paraspinals is insufficient, more strain will be created in the other structures of the back; the disks and ligaments. This can easily result in injury to the back or hip.

Over a dozen of these interactions occur with each pedal stroke and is repeated thousands of times per ride, potentially creating repeated trauma to these tissues that may eventually cause tissue damage. Even though you may not feel it, the damage can be happening.

The experts at the Aurora Sports Medicine Institute can easily diagnose and treat an injury that resulted from an imbalance of the core muscles. Our expert physical therapists and licensed athletic trainers have an average of over 10 years of experience in treating sports injuries and these types of musculoskeletal injuries.

Prevention is always a great way to treat these injuries. A solid core stability program, either on its own, or as part of a weight training routine, can minimize your risk of an injury. For more information about simple exercises to add to your training program, or to schedule a Free Sports Specific Injury evaluation - please call the Aurora Sports Medicine Hotline at 800-219-7776.

The Aurora Sports Medicine Institute has locations in Downtown Milwaukee, Brookfield, Mequon, Whitefish Bay, Oconomowoc, West Bend and Burlington and specializes in helping Athletes get Better Faster.