Multifidus spinal core stability

There are those in the health and fitness world advocating
isolating the multifidus for improving core strength. These people
it appears to us have never engineered the anatomy of the muscle to
see it's actually function.

From Grays anatomy: The origin of the multifidus in the lumbar
region is the mamillary processes and the insertion is into the
spinous processes of a vertebrae above. They possess numerous
tendinous fasiculi that can insert into the spinous process of the
contiguous vertebrae above to spanning several joints.

Go to http://www.spinalfitness.com/ and in first column titled
Academic/home study continuing education open up under the title
Course #1 "Preview Course 1".

Proceed to pages 21 and 22 to look at the multifidus line of pull as
a force of effort compared to the interspinalis.

Our biomechanical engineering shows that the multifidus would not be
an extensor of the spine as it commonly grouped. The line of pull
of the multifidus functions as a Co-contraction stabilizing
mechanism.

It bilaterally would oppose posterior shear associated with poor
lumbar posture doing a sit up or hitting in football another player

Open up next in the middle column `Strength Conditioning & Athletic
Training the link titled " The spine and two greatest secrets of
human movement" Proceed to slide 18 and proceed to read those
slides 18 through 33. On slide 29 you will see the situation where
the fifth lumbar is in posterior translation due to direction of
shear force.

The big idea here is you want the proper lordotic curve so shear is
typically anterior and picked up by the bony facets. You need the
multifidus to stabilize the spine due to poor posture and posterior
shear and you are an ineffective athlete.

You will notice not only does the direction of pull of the
multifidus stabilize the dislocating shear force it's pull also will
increase the ultimate detrimental force into the disc when it does
its work.

From our work there appears no reason why you would want to waste
time trying to strengthen the multifidus. You want to train for
proper posture that does not use them.

John Scherger
Ridgefield WA
jsscherger1@...