Introducing the Core

Book excerpt: There is no more important area of the body for an athlete than the core, the region of our body from our chest to our knees. The core is our engine, our hub of activity. Strength there makes life easier for shoulders and knees. It produces speed and explosiveness. Endurance and grit. The core is so important. So why has it remained such a medical mystery? This book will explain that. Introducing the Core: Demystifying the Body of an Athlete traces the arc of the journey from injury to restoration of power to the return to normal life. Dr. William Meyers is the nation’s foremost authority on core health. Along with over 40 world-renowned expert contributors, Dr. Meyers explains how the core functions through stories from his work in locker rooms, the operating room, and the playing fields of elite athletes, giving readers a thorough understanding of the core’s widespread influence on athleticism and the human anatomy. The book: Dissects the events that led Dr. Meyers and his team of experts to their new appreciation of this anatomy Brings multiple world-renowned arthroscopists into the overall core picture, providing their perspectives on how the core works, with the pubic bone as “the sun” of the body’s universe Offers insight into the many causes of pelvic pain, demonstrating why the term “sports hernia,” should be banished forever Emphasizes the fact that a wide spectrum of professionals treat the core -- from traditional surgeons to alternative therapists Brings it all together and proposes a new future, and perhaps a new medical specialty, that is the core “Strength, power, and endurance all flow from the core. This book, and the work Bill Meyers has done in the field, will bring good core health to the forefront and help everyone—elite athletes and others.” —Michael William Krzyzewski “Even in baseball, injury patterns in the shoulder and elbow are related to core imbalance. This book has been needed for a long time... Bill has helped the idea of core strength become more popular, and this book could be what is needed to get it more attention.” —James Rheuben Andrews, MD “To understand the core, you must put on new eyes.” —Marshawn Lynch