Every time a person performs the movement, it needs certain muscles to keep the body stable. Muscular stabilizing of the body during movement is called core stabilization, and some of its functions include maintaining the posture, balancing the body, making the movements more powerful and efficient, and lowering the possibility of getting injured. Core stabilization is especially important when an individual is in bad shape with poorly developed musculature; therefore, such exercises must be included in every conditioning program, as they are helpful during lumbar pain, herniated disks, and for performing physiotherapy. The drawing-in manoeuvre is a basic exercise from the core exercise progression. When performing this exercise, the person lies on his back with knees bent, and without rotating back the pelvis, pulls the belly button towards the spine using the inner abdominal muscles.
The purpose of this exercise is to isolate before integrating the lower abdominal muscles (transverse muscle of abdomen and abdominal, internal oblique muscle) back to the system. These muscles are the deepest and most essential group of abdominal muscles, as they are vital in stabilization because they support the lumbar vertebrae and provide neuromuscular control. The manoeuvre is designed to create neuromuscular control awareness and through maximal activation of the lower abdomens within a controlled environment, and after implementing this exercise to move on to more advanced ones (sample core progression).
The Drawing-in manoeuvre is one of the simplest cores stabilization aspects in terms of training. The exercise is quite simple to teach. Therefore it should be performed as a whole skill, not by parts. The trainer could start by explaining to his client the importance of the abdominal muscles, as they are responsible for keeping the body stable in the same posture. Then the trainer can explain the possible consequences if the abdominal muscles are poorly developed. Such after-effects of not exercising this part of the musculature may lead to simply scoliosis and rachiocampsis, but some aggravations may include abdominal herniations, as such structures as peritoneum or intestines may gouge in between the prelim abdominals, causing a hernia. If the elderly client is suffering from incontinence or cardio-vascular intolerance, the training of this muscle group may be a solution to these problems.
Once the client has acknowledged the essentiality of this exercise, the instructor may begin with the actual training process. It is not a difficult skill to gain; however, if the client has never performed it, some effort may be required. The client should lay with his back on the ground, with a mini cone placed on his stomach. The point is to absorb the abdomen in order for the belly button to reach the spinal cord. The cone is a good indicator of this process, as the client will try to suck the cone in with his lower abdominals, which are a target of this exercise. The drawing-in manoeuvre is usually performed in three sets of 10-second holds. The arms should be laid flat on the floor along the trunk or lifted above the head.
The skill of drawing-in manoeuvre is an essential tool in terms of core stabilization training. It is the most elementary exercise, and it is a vital guiding tool for any training practice. Once the client has mastered the drawing-in manoeuvre, he can perform a set of core stabilization exercises called Core Progression, which trains the core by advancing from simple controlled movement to more proprioceptively demanding ones that involve more muscle groups. For example, after three sets of drawing-in manoeuvres are performed, the client moves on to working with the dyna-disc and stability ball in order to train the muscles responsible for core stabilization.
References
Jeannerod, M. (Ed.). (1990). Motor Representation and Control. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Web.
Williams, A. M., & Hodges, N. J. (2004). Skill Acquisition in Sport: Research, Theory, and Practice. New York: Routledge.