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July 29, 2008

The Importance of Transversus Abdominis

We had the most interesting lab experience today. We were talking about core stability. According to studies, they've attached electrodes to biceps and to the abdominal oblique muscles and then asked the subjects to move their arm. What happens is that their abdominal muscles aways contract first because the extremities need a stable platform on which to move.

Our instructor runs a private clinic and many of her clients do Pilates. She is appalled at the number of people who do that activity and have no core control. And that's the one feature that Pilates advocates! Buyer beware, there are many instructors out there that don't know what they're doing.

So in lab, we laid around on the floor on our yoga mats and beach towels. It felt like a humongous sleep-over. And we practiced contracting transversus abdominis. Lying on your back with your knees bent, place two fingers on your abdomen just inside the prominent hip bones (ASIS) and begin to pull you navel toward your spine. (Remember this from my pelvic tilt post?) Don't move anything, no pelvic tilt, just practice contracting those muscles.

Next we started adding movement components to it. First we dropped our knee out toward the floor, again not moving the pelvis and always contracting tranversus abdominis. I could do this only about two inches before my pelvis began to roll with my leg, that was the extent of my range and that was where I was to exercise. Next was sliding the foot (it helps to have a socked foot on a slick floor) while extending the leg and back up without moving the pelvis. I could do this on the right but not on the left. And on we went with side-lying exercises like leg lifts and the clam.

All the big tough guys were sweating like beasts. They may dominate in contact sports, but the girls tended to catch onto these exercises fast. It didn't matter their age or activity level, everybody exhibited weakness in these muscles to some degree.

I was taught in massage school that the role transversus abdominus in the body was to contract to help with elimination. What they are telling me in PT school is that it's purpose is to increase intraabdominal pressure (which would help with elimination) and to use this pressure to help stabilize the spine.

This is a great exercise to do while you're waiting at a traffic light. So get out there and start squeezing your core. And don't forget to go when the light turns green.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at July 29, 2008 11:39 PM