How do you define the strength of your core? Is it by how many GHD sit ups or toes to bar you can do? Is it by how long you can plank? Or how defined that six pack is? Performance in these tasks and physique are all cool. But I’d be willing to assume that if you check all these boxes, your risk for injury due to core weakness is still high.
It’s because none of these things address our DEEP CORE.
Ok, so deep core strength isn’t sexy. No one at the beach cares how strong my transverse abdominis is. But you know I don’t talk to you about anything that isn’t a GAME CHANGER… and this is.
Strengthening your deep core can improve performance in any activity you love, from distance running to crossfit to carrying your kids and grandkids. It can alleviate pain from head to toe. It can help with painful pregnancy symptoms and is where we start for postpartum healing. It can improve leaking issues. The list goes on and on.
The deep core is made up of 4 muscle groups: The pelvic floor, the diaphragm, the transverse abdominis, and the multifidi. These muscle groups create a pressure system in your body, and training them to work individually and in coordination with one another leads to a balance in pressure.The key word here is coordination. If there’s an imbalance in pressure in any of the directions- front, back, top, or bottom- it can lead to several issues like disastasis recti, disc herniation, urinary leakage, accidental gas passing, and hernia!
So the goal of training the deep core isn’t to flatten your tummy, though that certainly can be a side effect. The goal is to create a stable foundation for the rest of your body to perform all the activities you love without injury. Head to instagram for a few exercise examples, but I highly encourage you to have a visit or two with an actual therapist to walk you through individualized exercises. Performed wrong, these drills can make you worse!
Holler at me with questions!
Rachel Atufunwa, PT, DPT