Core strengthening has become a major trend in rehabilitation. The term has been used to connote lumbar stabilization, motor control training, and other regimens. Core strengthening is, in essence, a description of the muscular control required around the lumbar spine to maintain functional stability. Despite its widespread use, core strengthening has had meager research. Core strengthening has been promoted as a preventive regimen, as a form of rehabilitation, and as a performance-enhancing program for various lumbar spine and musculoskeletal injuries. The intent of this review is to describe the available literature on core strengthening using a theoretical framework.
Overall article objective: To understand the concept of core strengthening.