the bodyworker
The Social Core
This article puts the ‘social’ back into the biopsychosocial approach allowing practitioners to consider the whole client. The article continues on from the previous article from Core: A Science-backed approach to exercising and understanding our central anatomy muscles. Last time we considered some of the core muscles, today we take a wider perspective to consider the Social Core. Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand. (Karl Marx)
BY OWEN LEWIS
The intention of considering the core
from a social context is to take the exercises
from the gym into more real-life situations. Society has proved to be a force with the potential to create a sinister relationship with our own body. It is hoped that awareness and careful scrutiny will somewhat nullify this negative social force. Our style of movement, training, and exercise is not a result of muscles, ligaments, fascia, and bony anomalies a lone, but it is driven by our beliefs, that are in turn driven by social norms, fashions, significant others, and the wider environment. The objective of considering the core from this wider context is to avoid the pitfalls of history and allow training to be more functional, practical, and useful.
Our beliefs as to what constitutes a “good core” is often echoed by our beliefs regarding “good posture.” The common narrative is that we need a solid core to support our weak and vulnerable spines. So, sit up straight as you read this, brace your core, and you too can obtain perfect posture and the sun will always shine. Fail to comply with this common belief and be condemned to slouching into a life of back pain and rain! Shockingly, this sentiment still prevails (perhaps without the weather report) and advertisers still use these outdated ideas to sell various core products and core exercise plans. Thankfully, good research coupled with common life experiences show that the link bet ween posture and pain is nothing more than a myth (Dillner, 2018).