If you suffer from back pain, you’ve probably heard that strengthening your core can bring you some relief. When most people think about the core of the body they think of the abdominal or six-pack area just below the ribs. While the abdominal muscles are an important part of the core, we consider other areas important, too.
Your core includes:
Front abdominal muscles — the rectus abdominis.
Muscles along the side of your body — the internal and external obliques.
A deep muscle that wraps around the front — the transverse abdominal.
Muscles in your back that are located between your spine bones and run along your spine — the erector spinae and multifidi.
Your core also includes your diaphragm, muscles of the pelvic floor, hip flexors, and gluteal muscles.
Theoretically, if your muscles around the low back are weak, your body will rely more on passive structures for stability, including ligaments — the tissue that connects bone to bone — as well as the spinal bones or discs which lie between the spinal bones. This can cause pain.