The theme for this month is balance. In the last newsletter, we saw that it takes more than muscle to have good balance and we reviewed the systems that impact balance. If you missed the article, you can find it here. For this segment, we are going to look at the most important muscles for balance and focus specifically on the core.
When it comes to daily activities and especially to athletic activities, strong arms and legs are important but you need a strong core to hold it all together. The Core is – well, the core. Even when you simply lift an arm, the abdominals are recruited to some extent. A strong core is needed otherwise movements at the hip, knee and ankle are going to be more challenging which makes balance more difficult.
Most people think of the abdominals as the core. There are four muscles that make the abdominals group. They are the Rectus Abdominis (the six-pack), the Internal and External Obliques and the Transversus Abdominis. The muscles are layered on top of each other and the Transversus Abdominis (TA) is the deepest layer. The TA runs horizontally (like a belt) around the waistline and attaches to fascia in the back.
While the abdominals are part of the core, what may not be as widely known is that other muscles also make up the core group. Surprisingly, the Psoas muscle can be considered part of the core as it attaches on each side of the front of the spine. When thinking three dimensionally and looking not just at the front but around to the back, there are Erector Spinae muscles along each side of the spine. The Quadratus Lumborum and the Gluteals in back can also be considered part of the core.
In addition, depending on how the core is defined, muscles such as the diaphragm and pelvic floor may be included. The diaphragm is sometimes thought of as the roof to the core muscles and pelvic floor as obviously the floor to the core.
The core is central when it comes to good balance. The abdominal and erector muscles support the front and back of the spine. The psoas and the gluteals impact movement at the hips and low back. Internally, the diaphragm and pelvic floor help create stability and a deeper core connection. Multiple muscles make up the core and multiple systems coordinate together for good balance.