There is no shortage of Internet info readily available extolling the virtues of a strong core and how it prevents back pain.
Take a lap on any social media platform and numerous Fit-fluencers will show you how to get a stronger core in 60-seconds or less with some circus-looking routines.
As if…
As a 25-year massage therapy veteran, specializing in neuromuscular approaches, I frequently come across fascinating notions on core related topics.
Even a quick Google search performed 5 minutes ago led to an audible guffaw from a Mayo Clinic blog on how crunches are a proper core exercise.
Yeah, crunches. No.
No wonder chronic pain is such a financial drain on the US economy in medical costs and lost productivity. A $635B drain (with a B!).
There’s loads of well-intentioned and misguided information out in the wild on how to strengthen the core to prevent injury, improve posture, and alleviate low back pain.
Classic exercises like crunches, planks, Burpees, Russian Twists, and bridges are commonly suggestions to guide you toward a better, kick-ass you.
Not to crap on some classics, but I’ve seen very poorly performed versions.
Unfortunately, these recommendations often reinforce bad habits and patterns, and show a fundamental lack in anatomical understanding.
Once again, fellow Misfit, I present a question: If crunches and planks are the key to a strong core, why do so many people still have low back pain?
What is the core?
Core Function; how does it really prevent back pain?
To get this party started, let’s clear up confusion on what the core does so we better understand what the core is.
Then, and only then, can we actually upgrade the core so it can really show up for us in amazingly good ways.
At the core of it [ahem], the function of the core musculature is to stabilize the spine.
Stability is the foundation from which all human movement endeavors should aim to begin.
Stability is the subconscious ability to harness, decelerate, and stop force.
Its our ability to effectively react to internal and external stimuli in our environment (hey, curb, where’d you come from?!)
Stability allows us to adjust position and muscular tension appropriately without a tremendous amount of conscious thought (highly useful with underfoot pets or squirmy toddlers)
Proper core stability enables us to generate power with movements, connecting muscle groups together dynamically to decrease vulnerability and injury in our musculoskeletal system.
Without core stability, we will likely accumulate minor injuries and weaknesses, compounded over time, leading to a whole host of physical aches, pains, and movement dysfunctions.
Core stability is not about rigidity and stiffness, nor 6-pack abs.
Fear not, this is software stuff, and we can upgrade our software before the hardware wears out!
Since you now have a better cursory understanding on the importance of stability and how the core functions in such a capacity, we can talk about the anatomy.
Core Anatomy:
Inner Core-Local Stabilizers
Think of the core as a canister.
The inner core musculature is comprised of the respiratory diaphragm at the top, the pelvic floor muscles at the bottom, and the sides of the canister include the abdominal muscles traversing the “spare-tire” area, travelling front-to-back, like a corset.
These particular muscles include: the transverse abdominus (TVA), the internal oblique (IOB), and the lumbar multifidus at the spinal level, offering a bit of segmental stabilization between the vertebra.
The core is all about breath, the most fundamental and repetitive motion you do all day, errday!
Taking a breath is the first thing you do when you are born, and the very last thing you will do before you leave this mortal realm.
To the tune of 24,000 reps a day, most people are breathing well enough to not pass out, but no where near optimally enough to properly stabilize via pressure generation, and generate massive amounts of power in their movements.
I explain how core dysfunction is like a pressure leak.
While the aluminum is thin, the strength and integrity of the whole can is maintained only so much as it remains closed.
Open the can, and it’s easy to squish.
Side story: when I was a kid, my cousin and I each took a can of Coke to the backyard with a golf club. We let it rip. The cans didn’t move, but oh boy, did we wear that Coke. (Not looking at you who’ve been in a car accident, had a slip and fall, tackled in sports, or post-partum Mom. That weird pressure anecdote has no application to you at all)[sarcasm font].
We aren’t a rigid can, so if we have the inability to properly create (and maintain) stabilizing pressure, through breath, through the abdominal cavity, your body will beg, borrow, and steal from other areas to try to keep you as safe as possible and prevent injuries.
Let’s level here: a niggling backache is better, in many ways, than a disk herniation or hernia. I won’t mention prolapses or urinary incontinence either. [oops, just did]
Better, but in no way great.
It’s not too difficult of a mental exercise to see how an annoying backache can bench you in life’s daily activities, preventing you from living your life large in the pursuit of preventing bigger issues.
Pain is often a software issue, attempting to prevent hardware breakdowns.
Ignored long enough, bigger issues often present themselves over time.
Outer Core-Global Movers
Once we are capable of building and maintaining the pressure in our trunk, then we can start branching out and allow the external core to transfer incredible power to the rest of the skeleton.
The external core is made up of the external oblique, erector spinae, rectus abdominus, and quadratus lumborum, and exercises of this system often include the powerhouse muscles of the hip.
I often see, while working with clients with these issues, is their exercise routines include exercises completely overlooking the pressure problem.
In their fitness pursuits they are majoring in the minors, with little control of any of it.
Take a lap on the socials and find people doing weird balancing things with exercise balls.
Cirque du Soleil these people are not.
Amazing things happen when we learn to better stabilize our pressures.
Crazy thing, it’s not something hard to learn, but it does take a lot of practice.
Restore your core for less back pain and injuries
With proper core restoration, sealing the pressure leak, this often leads to a reduction in a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, resulting in improved overall bodily feels and functions.
You’ll feel better in your body, and perform better irl (those gym goals will start paying off out in the wild!)
If you aren’t a gym-goer, you’ll notice life lived a little less in the LayZboi.
Your body is pretty great and very capable
Core issues have become a prevalent musculoskeletal issue.
My working hypothesis is due to the extensive sitting we do in our daily lives, coupled with poor movement habits both at home and the gym, and widespread breathing bad habits.
Like I’ve already mentioned, the good news is you can gain core functionality back, aiding in the relief of nagging bodily aches or long-standing injuries.
We need to re-learn how to use this exquisite system, building capacity as we become more expert in the working of it.
Is it time to work with a movement pro who understands how this works and can show you, step-by-step, how to seal the pressure leak and boost your ability to generate better power in your moves?
I’ve got some time, if you’ve got some willingness.
Schedule a session today so you can feel better now, and do your best tomorrow.
