Do you suffer from lower, back pain or sciatica? Want to reduce back pain? Core muscles are very important to brace and support the spine. A study evaluating the most effective ways to reduce chronic lower back pain found strengthening deep core muscles can often help.
The muscles of the core are incredibly important to brace and support the spine. A study considered the most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of chronic lower back pain. It found that the strengthening of the deep core muscles was the gold standard.
The deep muscles of the core are made up of the abdominals at the front (transverse abdominis), the para-spinal muscles at the back (multifidus), the diaphragm at the top and the pelvic floor muscles at the bottom.
The exercise of the week focuses on activating the transverse abdominis muscle correctly to reduce back pain. This is essential as you can’t strengthen a muscle you can’t activate.
Transverse abdominis activation:
- Position yourself lying on your back with your knees bent
- Palpate about 1cm inwards from the point of your hip bones
- Contract your pelvic floor. This can be done by performing the same muscle contraction you would to stop yourself from urinating midstream. Simultaneously, gently draw your navel towards your spine
- If you are activating your transverse abdominis correctly, you should feel a slight tightening under your fingertips. You should not feel a swelling or bulging, this is indicative of activation of other muscles in the abdominal region
- Your hips and back should not move when performing this movement
Once you have perfected activating your Transverse Abdominis, contact PROHEALTH PHYSIO & FITNESS (EP) to progress the exercise, begin strengthening and get ready to say goodbye to your lower back pain!
For further information, please refer to:
Source: PubMed
Read Time: 10 minutes