What are deep core muscles and how does pregnancy affect them?

What is the “deep core”? 

• The “deep core” is a muscle group that acts to stabilize your spine. This muscle group consists of the diaphragm, the pelvic floor muscles, the transverse abdominis and the multifidi muscles. When properly engaged, your intra-abdominal pressure increases and improves stability in the core. Due to the connection to your diaphragm, breath control is essential to core stability.

How is your deep core affected by pregnancy? 

• These muscles are essential to stabilize your spine and create a solid foundation in order for you to move well and efficiently. During pregnancy, as your baby bump grows, the pressure in your abdomen increases. This means that the deep core structures have to work overtime in order to maintain core stability. The abdominal wall stretches to create space for a growing baby and this can affect the integrity and strength of the transverse abdominis. The increased weight of a growing baby can also put increased pressure on the pelvic floor and may cause pain or other pelvic health symptoms such as urinary leakage. It is vital to maintain deep core engagement throughout the stages of pregnancy because of the immense structural changes that occur in a woman's body. Due to the important supportive action that these muscles have, weakness in this area can lead to things like back or hip pain, or pelvic floor issues such as urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. Keeping your core strong during pregnancy can help you stabilize your core and low back so that you can continue to move and exercise without pain. Also, by preventing these issues during pregnancy can lead to a speedier recovery in postpartum.

What are some signs that your deep core muscles need work?

• A common sign that your deep core muscles are not working well together is seeing doming in the center of your abdomen when lifting, rolling over in bed, or doing a crunch. This is known as diastasis rectus abdominis or DRA. This is commonly seen in pregnancy or postpartum, but can be observed at any time in both men and women. What is happening is that the pressure that you are creating in your abdomen is greater than the tensile strength that you are able to create with your core. It is typically not painful, however is related to issues like low back pain and pelvic floor dysfunction. 

How can I strengthen my deep core?

• To strengthen your deep core, it may be a good start to go back to the basics. Start with a transverse abdominis activation. Lay on your back with your knees bent and start by breathing slow and low into your belly. Inhale and feel your belly expand. Exhale and draw the abdominals in, towards your spine. Inhale again to release. Activating the transverse abdominis is a foundational exercise in which many deep core exercises stem from. 
• Start to integrate this deep core work in your daily activities such as lifting tasks. Brace your transverse abdominis in the exact same way when squatting down to lift heavy groceries, or picking up babies and toddlers. Keep your back tall and your gaze forward, start small and progress slowly.

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