Dooley Noted: 9/15/2014
It you are what you eat, then so are your core muscles.
Or core stability is what you digest.
Let’s say your digestion doesn’t agree with a food you chose, and you become bloated.
Bloating and distention of the anterior abdominal wall stretches important muscles like rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, and the abdominal obliques. These muscles exert enormous expulsive strength during a cough, sneeze, deadlift, squat, etc. (See picture below.)
If they are stuck in a stretch position, they exert improperly sequenced patterns of contraction, leaving you at risk for back pain, gait disturbances, and faulty local and global movement patterns. Even proper breathing gets disturbed.
Let’s say the next meal left you constipated.
If you suffer from constipation, the pelvic floor can tighten like a vice grip. This can disallow the normal movement sensors to provide cueing for the rest of the core to properly contract. Tightened pelvic floors can also tighten hip movement, due to it’s connections to the fascia of obturator internus. (See pictures below.)
The reverse can be true with diarrhea. The pelvic floor can become so loose that it pulls inferiorly on a connective tissue that surrounds the inside of the abdominal wall. This tissue, called peritoneum, is connected to both the abdominal muscles and to viscera like the liver, stomach, and intestines. (See pictures below.)
Affect one core area, and you change the sequencing of all the core.
Improving your digestion doesn’t just make you feel great from a visceral perspective. Proper digestion sets up the environment for you to breathe and move better.
The anatomy doesn’t lie.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley