The Core
What Is The Core?
Simply put, our core is everything except for our arms and legs. So, the core is the head, neck, the entire spinal column, the shoulders, the rib cage, the abdomen, the pelvis and the hips.
This includes all the muscles, nerves, fascia, lymph, arteries, and veins in the head, neck, chest, abdomen and pelvis. The core also includes the organs of these regions: the brain, spinal cord, lungs, stomach, spleen, pancreas, liver, small and large intestine, kidneys, bowel, bladder and reproductive organs. So when we are training the core, it is essential to take into consideration all of this anatomy and include it in each exercise.
What Does The Core Do?
A LOT! The core is responsible for our posture, movement, respiration, circulation, nerve conduction, thinking, feeling, talking, digestion, immunity, hormonal regulation, detoxification, spinal stability, and internal pressure management.
The muscles of the core are an integral part of all these functions. Therefore the health of your “core muscles” is absolutely essential to your overall health. Improving the function of your core muscles is one of the best things you can do to improve your longevity.
The key core muscles I typically focus on during core rehabilitation include: the abdominals, the paraspinal muscles, the glutes, the iliopsoas, the intercostals, serratus anterior, the SCM, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor.
All of these muscles work together as a single system to stabilize your spine and help you move, breathe, and feel. Since they surround and directly support your organs, they contribute to circulation, digestion, immunity, and hormonal regulation. So when they are not functioning properly, many things can go wrong, such as postural issues, scoliosis, breathing dysfunctions, circulatory issues, bowel, bladder and gut issues, incontinence, constipation, fertility issues and sexual dysfunctions, back pain, neck pain, tailbone pain, pelvic pain, hip problems, sciatica, disc herniation, prolapse, and diastasis.