Understanding Your Core | Guest Post

09 September 2024 — david-allen

As a qualified physiotherapist with over 24 years of experience, Becca has been helping clients improve their quality of life through a comprehensive approach of treatment, education and goal focussed exercises. Here she tells us more about some techniques to help you understand your body for rehabilitation.    Understanding Your Core Every client I see is treated as an individual case and my treatment method is specific to their needs and personal goals. I use a wide range of evidence-based manual techniques combined with exercise rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is a specialised component of physio which helps clients regain better/normal function after an injury, illness, or operation with the goal of enabling them to return to their daily duties, activities, or sport. Rehabilitation can include a personal exercise program and clinical Pilates. Clinical Pilates is a form of exercise which combines traditional Pilates exercises with Physiotherapy assessment and clinical expertise, to deliver a personalised program plan for the client’s specific needs. It promotes body stability, strength, and flexibility and improves client’s body control and awareness. Clinical Pilates starts with the core.   What is the Core? The "core" is often talked about in fitness and health. In a physiotherapy setting the core is the term we give to a group of muscles located in the centre of your body and the main ones of interest for clinical Pilates are: - Diaphragm - Pelvic floor - Transversus abdominis (and Multifidus)     These muscles work together to stabilize your spine and pelvis, provide support for your movements, and protect your internal organs.   The Diaphragm: Breathing and Stabilization

• The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located under your lungs. It's your main breathing muscle, but it also plays a key role in stabilizing your core.
• Breathing: When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, allowing your lungs to expand. When you exhale, it relaxes and moves upward, helping to push air out.
• Core Stability: In clinical Pilates we teach people how to breathe correctly in order to encourage you to activate your core efficiently and effectively. Correct breathing and use of the diaphragm helps reduce blood pressure, promotes our calming hormones (so reducing stress) and it can help improve mobility of the spine.

  Pelvic Floor Muscles: Support from Below The pelvic floor muscles form a sling at the bottom of your pelvis, supporting the bladder, intestines, and in women, the uterus. These muscles are crucial for:

• Support: They help keep your pelvic organs in place.
• Core Stability: They work with other core muscles to create a stable base for movement, especially important during exercises and heavy lifting.
• Continence: They control the release of urine and faeces.

  Transversus Abdominis: The Body’s Natural Corset The transversus abdominis (TVA) is the deepest layer of abdominal muscles, wrapping around your torso like a corset. Its roles include:

• Stabilization: It acts as a natural corset for your spine, containing the abdominal contents and aiding stability.
• Movement Support: When functioning correctly it activates during all movements of our body.

  Working Together for Stability We often describe the core muscles as being like a tin can as it can help visualise them all working together.     The individual parts of the core are designed to work together to generate and maintain stability and to support your body during any movement. As a physiotherapist seeing clients who have undergone different treatments whilst on their medical journey, I help teach them how to improve their stability. We often go back to basics and work on breathing correctly, finding good postural alignment in the pelvis, rib cage, shoulders, and neck then we can progress things and start to build up strength and endurance.  By retraining muscles to work together and stabilise the body better, we see incredible changes from pain management to reduced anxiety to improved flexibility. All of which can make everyday life more comfortable.   My advice to anyone reading this who is keen to explore things further is find a qualified clinical Pilates instructor near to them, start slow and listen to your body.   Rebecca works privately in West London, W3. www.beccavk.com