What even IS the core?

Spend any time scrolling through the internet for exercise tips and you’ll indelibly come across one of the great buzzwords in the fitness world these days: “the core”. Usually, it is vaguely defined as some group of muscles in your abdomen that everyone seems to feel is best improved by planks. Lots of planks. Which does this marvel of dynamic structural integrity little justice.

Diving a little deeper, some social media posts and videos might mention obliques and in some very rare cases, the transversus abdominis. But the vast majority of content misses the full complexity of the core.

In the rehab and especially pelvic health world, the core is a 3-dimensional structure in your abdomen that is responsible for creating and adapting proximal stability – creating stability in the middle of your body – and managing intraabdominal pressure – controlling the forces that put pressure through your abdomen, spine, and organs. The core comprises 4 muscles/muscle groups:

1. Your deepest front and side abdominal muscle, the transversus abdominis. This is nature’s corset which wraps from one side of your spine to the other. It is thin and has anticipatory reflexes to keep your spine stable and healthy when you perform pretty much any movement.

2. Your respiratory diaphragm. This is a dome-shaped muscle which lines the bottom of your ribcage and is largely responsible for breathing. When it contracts, it lowers into your abdomen, drawing air from the outside down into your lungs. This creates “belly breathing”.

3. Your deep paraspinal muscles, the multifidi. The multifidi come in multiple varieties throughout the spinal column. The multifidus has superficial and deep layers which function together but also somewhat separately. These muscles extend the spine but mostly function as a dynamic stabilizer. This muscle is very well-researched and connected to incidences of low back pain. When back pain is present, often the multifidus is weak or atrophied.

4. Your pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is a network of (depending on your anatomy) around 14 muscles. The pelvic floor lines the inside of the pelvis and forms a bowl-shape. The pelvic floor has multiple functions: supporting the pelvic organs and abdominal contents, stabilizing the lumbar spine and pelvis, moving lymphatic fluid through the body, has multiple sphincters to keep things in and let them out, and sexual functions.

So, you can see that the core is much more complex than just “abs with some extra stuff.” These structures all work together in very complex and interesting ways to keep us moving and grooving. When doing “core work,” it’s important to appreciate and address all these different parts and functions of these muscles. If you want more info or want to work on these things in greater detail, make an appointment today!

Unbound Physio PLLC provides one-on-one pelvic health, balance, and orthopedic physical therapy in West Hartford and the Greater Hartford area.