There's More Than One Muscle in My Core?

Hello friends!  When you think about strengthening your “core” what exercises come to mind?  It’s common to think of our abdominal muscles as our core and performing exercises like crunches or sit ups to strengthen them.  But did you know our core is made up of several different muscle groups with our abdominal muscles being only one?

Our core plays an important role in our body to hold our organs, bones, and joints in place.  It also gives us stability to help us move.

Imagine your core like a barrel or box. The muscles of the core make up the side of the barrel.  The abdominal muscles make up the front, with the primary muscles being the transverse abdominus (our deep abdominals—not our six pack muscles.  The deep back muscles, called the multifidi, make up the back side of the barrel.  The top of the barrel is the diaphragm which is our primary breathing muscle.  Last but not least, the pelvic floor muscles are the bottom of the barrel.

 For the barrel to keep the contents inside safe, all sides need to be working! If the front, back, top, or bottom fail, the contents will no longer be safe inside.  The same concept applies to the core muscles.  Still imagining a barrel, if we want to move the barrel by either pushing or pulling it, if one side it weak it may not be able to withstand the pressure being put on it and the barrel won’t be able to move effectively.

All four parts of the barrel should work together all day long to help us move. In fact, contracting the pelvic floor muscles often causes the deep abdominal muscles to contract at the same time (Critchley, 2002). Your core should be working every time you move—even with simple movements like raising your arm or rolling over in bed. If some are working well but others aren’t, too much movement may occur in the back, pelvis, hips, and pelvic organs.  This can cause pain, pelvic floor dysfunction (prolapse, urinary incontinence, constipation, etc.), and tiring out easily.

We are still learning exactly how these different muscle groups work together.  It is thought that the pelvic floor muscles work automatically as we move to help regulate pressure inside the abdominal cavity and stabilize the pelvis (Dufour, 2018).  People with urinary leakage (which is often a sign of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction) are twice as likely to have low back pain (Cassidy, 2017).  We know that overactive pelvic floor muscles can cause pain in the back, pelvis, tailbone, thighs, and abdomen.  For many people, re-training the pelvic floor muscles may be an important part of relieving pain, feeling stronger, and moving easier!

A pelvic floor therapist is a great resource to helping get and keep all the muscles of your core working at their best.  Ask your provider for a referral or find one near you at www.mypfm.com/find-a-pt.

To start training your core at home, learn how to do the core brace in the video below.  The core brace can be combined with almost any other exercise!

 To learn more about your pelvic floor muscles, check out these great resources:

• Find a pelvic therapist near you at www.mypfm.com/find-a-pt

• Watch our YouTube video on Pelvic Floor Muscle Training

• Read My Pelvic Floor Muscles: The Basics

• Watch Netflix for Your Pelvic Floor at Pelvic Flicks

• Learn more about your pelvic floor on our Instagram

• Visit our Amazon store for our favorite pelvic health products

• Sign up for our email newsletter

For providers, check out our online courses to help your clients. Consider joining our Ambassador Program and most of our courses are included with your membership!

• Breathing: Beyond the Lungs with Dr. Kelli Wilson PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, OCS

• The 3D Pelvis with Hayley Kava, PT, MPT, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist

• Pelvic PT Evaluation of the Pelvic Floor Muscles with Dr. Samantha Richter, PT, DPT, WCS

Written by Emily Reul, PT, DPT

References

1. Cassidy T, et al.  Relationship between back pain and urinary incontinence in the Canadian population. Phys Ther. 2017;97(4):449-454.

2. Critchley D.  Instruction pelvic floor contraction facilitates transverus abdominis thickness increase during low-abdominal hollowing.  Physiother Res Int. 2002;7(2):65-75.

3. Dufour S, Vandyken B, Forget MJ, Vandyken C.  Association between lumbopelvic pain and pelvic floor dysfunction in women: a cross sectional study.  Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2018;34:47-53.