What is The Core?
You’ve probably heard people say to “engage your core,” but have you ever wondered what that means? You may have asked yourself, “How do I engage my core?” or “What even is the core?”. This blog is devoted to teaching you about what the core is, what muscles are involved, and how it works.
What is the core?
Oftentimes, a person’s first thought of the core is your Rectus Abdominis, better known as that “six-pack muscle.” However, our core is so much more complex and incredibly important for stability for our entire body! Our core helps to stabilize our spine and pelvis, which then has an affect on the rest of our body. It helps us be able to maintain and create certain positions throughout the day, while also keeping injuries at bay.
Our core consists of pelvic, back, hip, and stomach muscles. While our core offers a lot of stability throughout the body, it also is responsible for actions such as trunk flexion, rotation, and side-bending. The primary stabilizers in our core are muscles of the pelvic floor, diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and the multifidus. Our “movers” include rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, erector spinae, and the quadratus lumborum.
Muscles of the core
How does the core function?
Each muscle group within the core has its own individual function that aids in the movement and stability of our trunk.
The pelvic floor and the diaphragm, in regards to the core, work in tandem to help produce intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). As we exhale, our diaphragm and pelvic floor lift, and as we inhale, they both descend. If they did not work together, we would fluctuate between too much IAP and too little IAP.
How the diaphragm and pelvic floor work
to create intra-abdominal pressure
How does the core function?
Each muscle group within the core has its own individual function that aids in the movement and stability of our trunk.
The pelvic floor and the diaphragm, in regards to the core, work in tandem to help produce intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). As we exhale, our diaphragm and pelvic floor lift, and as we inhale, they both descend. If they did not work together, we would fluctuate between too much IAP and too little IAP.
How the diaphragm and pelvic floor work
to create intra-abdominal pressure
Transverse Abdominis
The Transverse abdominis (TvA) wraps from the back to the front of the trunk. We can think of our TvA as a built-in back brace. It helps with maintaining IAP, holding our abdominal organs in place, supporting our back through movement, and aids in trunk flexion.
Internal and External Obliques
The internal and external obliques sit on the sides of your abdomen. The external obliques help with trunk rotation, trunk flexion, side bending, and stabilization of the trunk. The internal obliques help with trunk flexion and sidebending, as well as causing an increase in IAP.
Rectus Abdominis
The rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle) is situated on the anterior trunk and helps with trunk flexion, and compression of the abdomen.
Multifidi
The multifidi are in the deep back muscles and span the entire vertebral column, but are most prominent in the low back. In regards to our core, the multifidi plays a role in stability and mobility of the spine.
Erector Spinae
Our erector spinae run along the spine and consist of three muscles: iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis. This muscle group aids in spinal stability.
Quadratus Lumborum
The quadratus lumborum (QL) is our deepest back muscle that extends from our last rib to our pelvis. This muscle is responsible for side-bending and stabilizing the low back.
How do I strengthen and engage my core?
There are multiple exercises that can be performed to help strengthen the muscles of the core. One of the common mistakes made when doing core exercises is neglecting the accessory and stabilizing muscles. The majority of the time, individuals will do exercises where the only movement is trunk flexion (primarily engaging through the rectus abdominis). These exercises are not limited to: crunches, sit-ups, russian twists, etc. However, as we went through the individual muscles of the core and their actions, we can clearly see that there is more to the core than trunk flexion. We need exercises that will strengthen us through all other motions of the trunk, such as rotation, side-bending, and even static holds! These exercises can include: Dead Bugs, Pallof Press, Bird Dogs, Ab Rollouts, Planks, and more!
It is important to note, engagement of the core is more than strengthening the muscles! It also requires that we set our pelvis and trunk in the proper position to allow for an increase in IAP. This brings us to the concept of “the stack.” When we brace through the core and the trunk, we are bringing our pelvic floor under our diaphragm. This causes an increase in IAP, making it easier to engage the muscles of the core, providing stability throughout the trunk!
When our pelvis is not stacked under our ribcage, it is more difficult to engage the core, and you lose your ability to properly stabilize the trunk.
Meet our
Therapist
GWP Physical Therapy can help your core!
If you are someone who has experienced low back pain, it is possible that your core strength may be in question. Your Physical Therapist can show you exercises and specific movement patterns in order to strengthen your core!