Beyond the Core to Whole Body by Carolyn Richardson PhD gravityfit.com gravityfit.com GravityFit: Beyond the Core to Whole Body Carolyn Richardson PhD GRAVITYFIT: BEYOND THE CORE TO WHOLE BODY Beyond the Core to Whole Body ISBN: 978-0-9806382-1-9 Copyright © GravityFit Pty Ltd 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Copyright © GravityFit Pty Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. gravityfit.com Preface Low back pain is an increasing problem in modern society. During the 1990s and early 2000s, our Physiotherapy Research Team at the University of Queensland developed effective diagnosis and treatment strategies for the rehabilitation of low back pain. The focus of this ‘Motor Control’ exercise approach was to use specific exercise techniques to activate and facilitate the Core muscles, so that they could function as a single unit to stabilise and protect the lumbo-pelvic region. Over the years, attempts have been made by others in the health field to transfer these ‘rehabilitation’ techniques to more general exercise programs to increase athletic performance and prevent conditions such as low back injury and other musculo-skeletal injuries in sport. As a result, many different types of abdominal ‘bracing’ manoeuvres have been developed. Unfortunately these techniques have, in general, been ineffective and unsuccessful in preventing low back pain and other musculo-skeletal conditions in the active population. The unprecedented increases in ‘musculo-skeletal’ healthcare costs occurring in the 21st century have been caused, not only through people becoming sedentary and overweight, but equally by many very active and otherwise healthy individuals, who, unknowingly, are not using the most appropriate methods of exercise to prevent these conditions. The GravityFit Exercise Model (GFEM) has been developed to explain and guide the process of improving bone and joint health for the whole body and maximising overall muscle performance. The GFEM was based on Space (microgravity) research which showed us that being in a ‘weightless’ environment (with no gravity), people can exercise vigorously every day and still experience deterioration in their muscle, joint and bone health (including muscle wasting, low back pain and osteoporosis). i From further research on the neuroplasticity (ie changing function) of the nervous system, which occurs when the body loses the feel (or ‘sensory’ effect) of gravity, it has been possible to develop a new paradigm for the process of joint degeneration and pain. The GFEM is based on this paradigm and aims to reverse the muscle imbalance and changes to the nervous system caused by a loss of Gravity Sensory Information to the body. The GFEM promotes muscle, joint and bone health and extends the Core Stability concept to the whole body. More specifically, the GFEM is designed to develop strong bones as well as strong, fatigue-resistant muscles to support and stabilise the spine and other joints and enhance overall muscle performance. It therefore aims to prevent injury and other painful conditions that occur with age and living each day with the forces of gravity. This book provides a general introduction to GravityFit and forms part of a wider educational program devised to reduce the incidence of chronic musculoskeletal conditions, improve community health and improve overall physical performance. It explains the development of the GFEM and its underlying principles and then gives specific examples and practical advice on taking responsibility for your own musculoskeletal health and becoming GravityFit (including the GravityFit Walking Program). Education on the GravityFit Exercise Model and the benefits of GravityFit will be disseminated throughout the community – visit the GravityFit website at www.gravityfit.com to find more information regarding our education and training programs. I hope you enjoy learning about the GravityFit Exercise Model on your way to being fit for Gravity Fit for life. Carolyn Richardson ii Copyright © GravityFit Pty Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. Acknowledgements gravityfit.com The GravityFit Exercise Model was developed over many years, starting with my PhD in 1987 (UQ) which studied exercise in relation to Gravity and the ‘sensory effects’ of Gravity on human muscle function. For this, special thanks to Professor Margaret Bullock, my mentor and PhD supervisor; Associate Professor Yvonne Burns and Professor Vladimir Janda, for guiding me with their extraordinary knowledge of the human sensory-motor system; and Prue Galley who encouraged me to do my PhD, when it was not common in Physiotherapy. The development of new exercises for Low Back Pain resulted in the text: Richardson CA, Hodges PW, Hides JA (2004). Therapeutic Exercise for Lumbopelvic Stabilisation: A Motor Control Approach for the Treatment and Prevention of Low Back Pain, 2nd edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone For this, special thanks to Professor Julie Hides and Professor Paul Hodges; past PhD students, Joseph Ng, Ruth Sapsford, Sally Hess, Alison Grimaldi, Daniel Belavy, Soraya Pirouzi, Joanne Bullock-Saxton, Gwen Jull, Kevin Sims; and members of the UQ Joint Stability Research Team, Rowena Toppenberg, Quenton Scott, Sue Roll, Helen Flemming, Linda Blackwell, Chris Hamilton and Warren Stanton. Space Research with the European Space Agency (ESA) allowed us to demonstrate the importance of Gravity for human health, by studying human muscle function when the effects of Gravity were removed (i.e. microgravity). For this, special thanks to: l Professor Chris Snijders of the Netherlands, for his wonderful, innovative Biomechanical research and for including me in ESA’s Topical Team of International researchers studying Low Back Pain in Astronauts; l Benny Elmann-Larson for providing the incentive for us to become involved in Space Research; iii l Dr Daniel Belavy, my former student, for his mastery of research measurement techniques and continuing involvement in ESA’s Space research program; and l Dr Steve Wilson, our brilliant Biomedical engineer. Most importantly, thanks to my good friend and colleague, Dr Julie Hides, who has changed the rehabilitation of low back pain with the introduction to the world of real-time ultrasound in therapeutic exercise, and whose research is continuing to lead the world in the management of low back pain. And finally, a special thanks to Shane Watson, for helping to put this book together. iv Copyright © GravityFit Pty Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. TAblE oF ConTEnTS gravityfit.com PART 1: The GravityFit Exercise Model 1 1. Gravity and your Health 1 Introduction 1 The role of muscles in gravity 2 2. The Antigravity Muscle System: Countering the Effects of Gravity 4 Movement muscles 5 Antigravity muscles 6 Antigravity Kinetic Chains (AKCs) 7 The Spinal AKC 9 The Stable Core 11 3. Gravity Sensory Information: optimising the Antigravity Muscle System 12 Gravity Sensory Information (GSI) 12 4. A new paradigm: How decreasing GSI causes joint degeneration and pain 17 Situations, exercises and activities on Earth that decrease GSI 17 Muscle Imbalance and Gravity Related Medical Conditions (GRMCs) 20 Process of Joint Degeneration and Pain 21 The basis of the GravityFit Exercise Model (GFEM) 23 5. The GravityFit Exercise Model (GFEM) 25 GravityFit Exercise Model (GFEM) 25 Elements of the GravityFit Exercise Model 26 PART 2: Applying the GFEM in Practical Ways to Improve your Core body Strength 29 1. Maintaining a Strong and Stable Spine 30 v A. Maintaining the neutral Spine Position 30 b. Maintaining the Stable Core 32 The Antigravity Postural Cue 34 2. lifestyle Activities and Exercises to improve your Core body Strength 36 SPInAl AKC and STAblE CoRE Activities 38 (1) Standing Upright 39 (2) Sitting Upright 40 (3) Sitting leaning Forward 41 (4) Standing leaning Forward 41 Increasing GSI for the Spinal AKC and Stable Core 42 SPInAl AKC, STAblE CoRE and loWER lIMb AKC Activities 43 (1) Walking 43 (2) Getting in and out of low chair 43 (3) lowering the body towards the ground 44 (4) Climbing activities 44 Increasing GSI for the Spinal AKC, Stable Core and lower limb AKC 45 SPInAl AKC, STAblE CoRE and UPPER lIMb AKC Activities 46 (1) Pushing down activities 46 (2) Pushing forward activities 46 (3) Pushing up activities 47 Increasing GSI for the Spinal AKC, Stable Core and Upper limb AKC 47 3. The GravityFit Walking Program 48 The Program Steps 49 APPEnDIX 1: About the Founder 54 vi Copyright © GravityFit Pty Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. Part 1: The GravityFit Exercise Model gravityfit.com 1. Gravity and your Health InTroducTIon With increasing community understanding that being overweight and sedentary is closely linked to disorders such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, most people realise that regular physical activity and general exercise are essential for health and wellness. However, just being active is not enough to prevent other types of medical conditions, particularly those related to bone and joint health. In fact, conditions such as chronic low back pain, osteoporosis (a loss of bone density and strength) and osteoarthritis (deterioration of joints such as the hips and knees) are increasing at such a rate in the industrialised world that the World Health Organisation designated the years 2000 – 2010 as the Bone and Joint Decade and has now continued this initiative indefinitely. The GravityFit Exercise Model (GFEM) is a new exercise concept based on Space research to optimise bone and joint health as well as providing excellence in physical performance. It focusses on improving Core Body Strength, which ensures strong bones, stable joints and a co-ordinated muscle system to support our bodies against the compressive force of Gravity. It was developed by Professor Carolyn Richardson who pioneered the Core Stability concept which is now the foundation of modern exercise training (see Appendix 1 for further details on Professor Richardson). The GFEM takes Core Stability to the next level through sensory feedback and postural awareness focussing on whole body well being. This is accomplished by activating the Anti-Gravity muscles through three Anti-Gravity Kinetic Chains which are interlinked through the central Stable Core. This significantly enhances stability of joints and strength of bones as well as minimising risk of injury and improving overall muscle performance. 1