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Difference between inner corset and stabilizing rib cage?

Anonymous (not verified)
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Difference between inner corset and stabilizing rib cage?
Dear Esther,

In the appendix I read about the difference between using the inner corset and rib anchor.  Could you please tell us when to use either technique, and how to do the rib anchor alone without doing the inner corset, too?  (or does it make a difference?)  I've been doing what I think is the inner corset at all the times I think I ought, like stacksitting and tall standing.  I still don't have standing quite right, as my neck seems to bother me.  I am going back through your book one chapter at a time, slowly, and gleaning what I missed the first three times through.

I can do the rib anchor lying down but I can't distinguish between that and the inner corset while standing.

Lemontree
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The inner corset is only for when your discs / spine is under extra stress (all the time only if you have an injury). Otherwise, when you are stacksitting and tallstanding, you don't need to use the inner corset - phew! The inner corset is pretty hard work - save it for when you are carrying loads, jogging, distorting your spine or otherwise putting pressure on your discs and other spinal structures.

The rib anchor is useful to prevent a sway. For people who sway habitually, it's good to use the rib anchor as much as possible until the rib anchor muscles (mainly the internal obliques) get toned and do their job in the background without anything needing to be done purposefully. If you have good tone in the rib anchor, you would use it only when you move your limbs in a way that might otherwise distort the back (example, raiseing the arms above the head, donkey kicking the legs backwards, doing shoulder exercises, etc.)

The inner corset is a much more extensive set of muscles than the rib anchor; the inner corset includes the rib anchor.

Does that help? If you need more pointers, feel free to ask.
PortlandRolfer
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Esther,
Would you mind listing the muscles that you consider part of the inner corset, for the anatomy geeks here?  Reading your book, I was guessing that you were referring to the obliques and the transversus abdominus.  But I would love to understand more precisely.  Thank you!

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