Well the obvious answer is yes having a strong core contributes to the relief of low back pain. The bigger questions here are what is the definition of 'the core'? What muscles is the core made up of? Is it only abdominal work I need to do? The answer to this question is a resounding NO! How do I activate 'the core'? How do I move successfully whilst keeping my core activated? If you would like to know the answers to these questions then read on.....

What is the core?

Unfortunately it is mostly referred to as the abdominal region and this is a classic example of how a little information can cause more harm. Think of the anatomy of the core - the centre of your body - it is a cylinder. It has an anterior wall, the abdominals, but it also has sides, a back, a base and a lid.

Just like a house if you only re-inforce the front wall you will create imbalance in the house and the un-inforced parts will weaken and crumble. If you only train the abdominals you will create an imbalance between the front and back of the body. The abdominals will get stronger and the back muscles will get weaker. the pull on the bones from the abdominals and the lack of counteraction from the back muscles will cause a more flat back and a posterior rotated pelvis. For those with disc injuries this is just about the worst thing you can do because the discs are at even greater risk of coming out, irritating the nerve and causing you great discomfort.

The mechanics

Activating your core is not as simple as contracting a few muscles. The diaphragm acts as the lid of your core cylinder as well as playing a major role in respiration. Your breathing is very much involved in optimal core activation. If you have faulty breathing mechanics and/or the alignment of your ribcage and pelvis is out this affects the role of the diaphragm in core activation. Ultimately successful and useful core activation is a blend of alignment, good breathing mechanics and the understanding of how to activate ALL the muscles that make up the core.

Gently does it

Activating your core for support is actually very gentle - about 10-15% of a maximal contraction. If you contract to hard you'll do what is called a brace. This is not bad and in some cases is necessary such as in ultra heavy lifting but what happens to the cylinder is it becomes rigid and immovable. The point of activating the core for support is so you can move freely without restriction. If you are going red or cannot breathe when activating your core you are contracting too hard.

Intra-related - it's complicated

There is no use thinking I'll train all those component parts separately. In order to provide optimal support for your spine all these muscles need to work together. You have to train the brain to switch on these muscles like a conductor begins an orchestra together. If the firing order is out it will sound like a badly rehearsed concerto.

All together now

Once you have the component parts working in harmony then you must teach your body to move with this new core support system working. At first it will be a conscious effort but over time it will become automatic. This enables you to move effectively for life, for fitness, for your sport and with the correct support so you can move without pain and minimise the risk of injuring yourself further.

So now you know that your core is more than just the abdominals I would recommend seeking out a specialist who can teach you correct alignment of the ribcage and pelvis, correct breathing technique and correct core activation to support your spine. A good indication of a specialist in this field is one that can explain the mechanics and teach you the application simply and effectively.

If you would like to know more about core activation and how it can help support your back and other joints effectively for movement contact me at KT@precisionmovement.co.uk.

For this weeks blog post, I’d like to touch on a subject that is often overlooked. What plays a major role in the alignment and stability of your body, is critical for your survival and is also integral to maintaining a sense of calm?

It’s breathing. Your ability to breathe is truly amazing. It keeps you alive, it’s highly linked to how you feel and what state your body is in, it’s autonomic (you don’t have to tell yourself to breathe) but you can also take conscious control of it. The control and awareness of your breathing is your own little magic remedy for stress relief. Do a quick test now and count how many times you breathe in and out per minute.

Rate yourself!

A normal natural breathing rate is 12-16 full breaths (inhale and exhale) per minute. Obviously, when you are exercising breathing rate increases as a necessity of the need to transport more oxygen to the muscles for work. If you breathing rate is higher than normal for every day living this may be an indication that you are stressed. This could be mental, emotional or it could be nutritional or digestive. Whenever the body is disturbed or under stress it has the same response. Breathing rate increases with stress.

Discover your Depths

There are a few ways to breathe. The most common, although not most beneficial is chest breathing. This is a short sharp shallow breath, which is usually quite fast and is associated with the stress response. This type breathing contributes to getting more oxygen into the top area of your lungs as muscles in the upper back, shoulders and neck are use to lift the chest during strenuous exercise. This is not however, a breathing technique that should be used in every day life.

Breathing that causes pain and injury

When someone breathes like this they usually inhale and exhale through their mouth and this can often bring the head position forwards and create mild (and sometimes major) stress on the neck and shoulders. The body will also respond hormonally, as it thinks it’s under stress so it will secrete a low constant level of cortisol – the stress hormone.

Breathing for healing and recovery

Deep breathing/belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing is a full breath where by the whole lungs are filled with air, the diaphragm drops down and the organs below it push out against the abdominal wall. Two thirds of a full breath happen below the chest, then last third of the breath should lift the chest if needed. This type of breathing takes the body into a state of relaxation and rest. Often a diaphragmatic breath is inhaled through the nose and exhaled out through the nose or in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Breathing for exercise

A simple effective berthing technique that helps you to relax and destress is to inhale for 6 counts hold your breath for 3 counts then exhale for 6 counts and rest for 3 counts. It takes a bit of time to slow down the breath so go easy to start. Practise this for 5 minutes a day and within a week it will seem easy.

Does having a strong core relieve low back pain?

Beneficial breathing for back pain & injury recovery