Engaging Stomach Muscles can Reduce Back Pain

Engaging Stomach Muscles can Reduce Back Pain

Oct. 7 

Written By Paul Kominek

The Importance of Engaging Stomach Muscles to Combat Back Pain

Back pain afflicts approximately 80% of adults at some point in their life. It is a leading cause of disability and responsible for almost as many missed work days as the common cold.

There are many causes of back pain ranging from injuries to ligaments and muscles to arthritis and congenital defects. For many of us suffering from back pain is a common occurrence. There are times when it does not affect us, and times when we can't get out of bed or put our socks on.

Because there are many sources of back pain and many triggers of back pain treatment techniques vary widely. The current science supports a combination of exercises and physical therapy as the most effective method for treating pain once it starts. Once present, it can be difficult to manage. Just when you think it's resolved, it may reappear. This can result in frustration and despair.

Muscles and Back Pain:

What if there was something people could learn to do to combat back pain before it starts? Or before it becomes severe enough to hinder movement? Want to prevent back pain before it starts or control symptoms once it has begun?

One method involves a group of muscles collectively called the transversus abdominis muscles. These are a group of muscles that begin attached to your spine. They stretch around your torso before coming together in the front of your body under another group of muscles called the rectus abdominis.

Transverse abdominal muscles act as your body’s natural weight belt and support your spine during all your movements. They contract when you move your arm or legs to support your spine. They contract when you stand straight, bend forward, twist and turn, and even when you move from lying down to a seated position.

Unfortunately, when people experience back pain, the muscles that act as a natural weight belt behave incorrectly. As a result, there is inadequate support to combat back pain symptoms. When people are experiencing pain the nerve signals that allow the transversus abdominis muscles to work properly become mixed up.

When people have back pain the group of muscles responsible for protecting your back might start contracting too soon. They do this to avoid injury. Starting contractions too late to prevent injury or not contract at all leaves the joints and nerves susceptible to injury and persistent pain symptoms.

Fortunately there are some things people can do to combat back pain before it becomes severe. This includes using transverse abdominal muscles at the first signs of back pain onset. These exercises focus on activating the transversus abdominis muscles and might be most useful when used at the first signs of back pain starting.

Abdominal Hollow Exercises to Control Back Pain:

Sometimes back pain can be controlled by activating the transversus abdominis muscles while standing. To accomplish this, practise standing in a relaxed pose and then bringing your belly button to your spine. You can drop your hips to the floor by bending your knees, pretending you are about to start sitting down.

An alternate explanation we use in a clinical setting is to have people use the pelvic floor muscles. We explain this as imagining they are urinating and then using their pelvic muscles to stop the flow of urine. Hold these muscle contractions for a few seconds and perform a set of ten abdominal hollows while standing.

Doing these ab exercises for back pain can prevent severe pain and can help people function and resume normal daily activities.

Written by:

Paul Kominek B.Sc., D.C.