The Importance of a Strong Core When Combating Low Back Pain

Your experiences in the world of low back pain likely mirror those of the other 619 million people around the world who struggle with this issue. Every day, back pain is present to some extent, and it’s limiting what activities you can engage in.

While there are many pain management strategies for low back pain, the team of spine health experts at SOAR Spine and Orthopedics wants to highlight one of the best practices — targeting your core muscles.

Here, we reveal how core strengthening can stabilize your lower back, relieve your pain, and keep it at bay moving forward.

A brief lesson in back anatomy

To best explain how core work can support your back and relieve your pain, we start with some anatomy. At the heart of your back (and your entire musculoskeletal system) is your spine.

This foundational system, however, isn't meant to act alone — there’s an entire network of muscles that surround and support your spine, including your:

• Erector spinae — muscles that help you stand erect and bend sideways
• Rectus abdominis — the major abdominal muscles (the 6-pack)
• Obliques — muscles on the sides of your body that help your trunk rotate
• Transverse abdominis — muscles that stabilize your pelvis
• Multifidus — small muscles that provide direct support for your spine
• Pelvic floor — a group of muscles that support the organs in your pelvis

Called the core muscles, all these muscle groups play key roles in providing support and mobility to your back.

Supporting your back with strong core muscles

As orthopedists who consider musculoskeletal structure, we understand the incredibly important role that your muscles play in helping you to function without pain.

Relying solely on your spine for support and movement, without the help of surrounding muscle groups, is a fast track to back pain. Like other areas of your body, your back is designed to function optimally with the help of surrounding muscles, and this used to be easier for humans when we didn’t have sedentary lifestyles.

With our modern way of living, core muscles have become weaker, and we’re paying for it with low back pain due to poor mechanics.

To combat this, core strengthening and stabilizing exercises are critical. Some examples of core exercises include:

• Bridges
• Planks
• Squats
• Bird dogs

What these exercises have in common is that they not only build strength, but also enlist the smallest muscle fibers to provide your back with stability. For a more complete list of core exercises, click here.

Getting started on strengthening your core muscles

While much of the core work we’re referring to can be done on your own, it's an excellent idea to start right with our individualized exercise instruction.

In fact, the program we offer was designed by our own pioneers in dynamic muscle stabilization exercises to treat spinal disorders. Today, our trained physical medicine rehabilitation specialists work closely with our patients to guide them with core strengthening and stabilizing programs that can make a huge difference.

These programs not only help improve function and reduce pain, but they’re an excellent practice for success down the road. After all, a strong core goes a long way toward preventing back pain. 

To get started, we work closely with your spine specialist to develop a program that meets your mechanical and functional needs. First, you can work under our supervision so we can ensure you're doing the exercises correctly and you have access to the right equipment. 

Once you have a good foundation, you can continue our good work at home to protect your back for years to come.

To learn more about core strengthening to minimize and prevent low back pain, contact us today at one of our offices in Santa Clara or Redwood City, California, to schedule an appointment.