Are You Missing Your Core

All you have to do is ask google what your core is and the images you will see will be something like this

(Picture from Anatomy Altas)

Heavy on the Abdominal muscles. You'll see a lot of photos of bulging 6 packs. You will be given exercises focused on getting every muscle in your abdominal cavity rock hard. If your core is made up of all these "stomach" muscles then why are we still so unstable? What are we missing when it comes to strengtheing our core?

What we and most trainers are overlooking is the Diaphragm!

By definition a Core is the central, most important part of something.

Researchers in recent years are putting  out more and more information showing how the diaphragm is linked to just about every major system that keeps us alive. One of the biggest systems supported by the diaphragm is the body's Respiratory functions. As a person would die without being able to breath why have we ignored the diaphragm for so long? Maybe because it isn't out in front showing off like the Rectus Abdominis (pictured above) better known as the stomach's 6 pack.


When asked what is the primary muscle of respiration, I bet you wouldn't say the diaphragm. After reading to the end I'm sure you will now.


The diaphragm is so much more than just the primary muscle of respiration. It is one of our most complex muscles.

However, here I'm going to try not to get us lost in the complexity but rather try to reveal it's importance and wide reaching connection to other parts of the body.

In simple terms we can say the diaphragm is composed of  muscle, tendentious and fascial material. It is connected to the lower 6 ribs, the sternum, the spinal vertebrae, the Transersus Abdominis muscle and the Psoas muscle. It is part of the information super highway with various important nerves passing through it. Via its neuronal connections it is associated with the functioning of the TMJ, floor of the mouth and the pelvic floor. Its contraction and connection to the thoracic duct makes it the main facilitator of the lymph fluid being delivered to its final destination within the heart. It helps regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Finally it helps to regulate stress. Are we starting to understand why it is truly the body's core?


Since the diaphragm has be hidden and misunderstood for so long many of us are walking around with a dysfunctional core. You might be amazed how many of your aches and pains are probably due to this dysfunction.

What are some signs your diaphragm is offline and not functioning properly?

1. Your lower stomach extends down and past your hip bones while your low back sways/curves
2. Your upper stomach appears sunken under your lower ribs and your chest appears puffed out
3. When you raise your arms to your ears your elbows bend outward
4. Your head tilts excessively forward
5. You suck your stomach in when you inhale a breath
6. You raise your shoulders as you inhale
7. You push your upper chest forward as you inhale
8. You have chronic rib pain and/or need regular rib adjustments
9. You have chronic horizontal mid back pain
10. You breath through your mouth when resting
11. You have to take frequent deep breaths with a sigh and/or yawn
12. You have or had a hiatal and/or inguinal hernia

Ways to help get your diaphragm back online, enhance your posture and improve your breathing

1.  Soften and stretch the  fascia of your abdomen
2.  Stop trying to create rock hard abdominal muscles
3.  Stretch your quadratus muscles
4.  Strengthen your hamstrings and lower glutes
5.  Stretch the pectoral muscles
6.  Stretch the psoas muscles
7.  Begin to do more with your left hand
8.  Intentionally walk making sure to move opposing limbs i.e. take your first step with your left  foot while swinging your right arm forward and then your right foot with your left arm.
9.  Go back to crawling like a baby at least once a week. Here again use an opposing limb  movement.
10.  Stretch and soften your jaw muscles
11.  Practice extending your exhale

Now let's play around with some techniques to help activate your diaphragm and enhance your breathing.  


1. Extending your exhale:

• Either start by laying on your back or standing ( you want to make sure there is no bending       around the bottom ribs if possible) now inhale for a count of 1, hold for 1 and exhale for             your goal is to reach an 8 count
• Try exhaling with a candle : sit in front of a candle, create a circle with your lips (like you are going to breath through a straw), now breath slowing and gentle into the candle trying to make it flicker but not extinguishing the flame.

 2.  Connecting with the sides of your body. Lateral rib expansion:

       * Place your hands on the sides of your ribs, inhale through your nose while expanding your ribs
          into your hands, exhale through your mouth and feel your ribs drop toward your hips and                     make less contact with your hands. Repeat three times
3.   Modified circular breathin
      * Place your tongue to the roof of your mouth, inhale through your nose, pause, release your                  tongue, slowly drop open your jaw while exhaling through the mouth

One of the cutting edge information providers is the Postural Restoration Institute. From their site I have learned of the benefits of balloon breathing and the 90-90 hip lift balloon breath. The later is a pretty advanced technique, therefore I recommend you start with everything above building up to the full 90-90. You may also want to come in for help to make sure you are using proper form.

Variation one:

1. Hold a balloon to your mouth with your left hand
    put your tongue to the roof of your mouth
    inhale through your nose
    pause and release your tongue
    exhale into the balloon for a count of 4
    clamp the balloon closed with your left fingers,
    pause for a count of 4
    repeat : starting with the inhale through the nose
    You'll do 4 breaths in through the nose and
    3 breaths exhaled into the balloon with the 4th out          
    breath without the balloon

 Variation Two:

2. Lay on your back with your feet flat, shoulder width apart and touching a wall

    (don't push into the wall)

    put a ball or something between your knees

    keep your stomach soft throughout

    using your hamstrings lift your pelvis off the ground

    while keeping your back flat on the ground

    make sure not to press your feet into the wall

    repeat 4 times

   

Variation Three:

3. Combine 1 and 2

         Lay on your back with feet flat, shoulder width apart and touching a wall

         put a ball or something between your knees

         keep stomach soft

         lift the pelvis with your hamstrings

         hold a balloon to your mouth with left hand

         put your tongue to the roof of your mouth inhale through your nose

         release the tongue and exhale into the balloon

         clamp off the balloon with the fingers and count to 4

         keep the pelvis lifted

         repeat the breaths with a total of 4 inhales, 3 exhales into balloon

         and 1 exhale out of mouth without the balloon

         through out the right arm is by your side with hand palm up

      Arm variations for #3
        a. Do 3 with arm variation of right arm extended flat on surface next to the ear with straight                     elbow
        b. Do 3 with arm variation of right arm extended next to ear and raised into the air
     

Now that you have looked at the signs you have not been using your diaphragm properly and you have an idea of how to start addressing and changing your diaphragm's functioning you might be interested in more details.

Let's really get to know the diaphragm. It looks similar to a parachute.  It is dome shaped with the exterior being skeletal muscle and the interior being fascia (connective tissue). It is higher, thicker and stronger on the right side of the body than the left . The higher position on the right is due to the internal organs making space for the big shot, the Heart, on the left side of the body. It separates the upper part of the body (or thoracic cavity) holding up the heart and lungs from the lower part of the body (or abdominal cavity) surrounding the liver, gall bladder, spleen and stomach. It has fascia (connective tissue) that attaches to the back side of the sternum on both the right and left at the Xiphod process. 6 of its fascial threads attach to the lower 6 ribs (ribs 7-12) on both the right and left sides. Remembering there is an inner and outer component to the diaphragm therefore there is also fascial threads extending to the upper right border of the 5th rib and the lower left border of the 5th rib.  At the back of the body it has threads attaching on the right side to the first three  lumbar vertebrae and their intervertebral discs and on the left side to the first two lumbar vertebrae. Coming from the sides of the body going down toward the feet its fascia thickens and joins with the front portion of the psoas muscle and joins with the upper portion of the back muscle the quadratus lumborum. There is also a fascial connection into the transverse abdominal muscles. The diaphragm also has three major and several minor opening to allow the esophagus, vena cava, aorta and nerves and blood vessels to pass from the chest cavity to the abdominal cavity and vice versa.

The shape of the diaphragm changes as it works and depends on what and how the rib muscles are working.  The ideal method of breathing requires us to work the respiratory system in 3 dimensions. With need to be able to move vertically (from the hips to the clavicle and back down) , horizontally (moving the rib cage out to the arms and back in) and front to back (to the spine and away from it). How does this ideally happen? When you inhale the diaphragm is contracted, its central fascia is pulled down toward the feet which increases the vertical diameter of the chest allowing the lungs to expand and air to enter. At the same time the accessory breathing muscles, the muscles between the ribs pull the ribs up and out. As you exhale the diaphragm relaxes and folds in on itself pushing up on the lungs and the rib muscles pull the ribs in and down which pushes air out of the lungs. Due to the diaphragm's attachment into the spine the chest cavity also pulls away from the spine and in toward the spine to push air in and out.

It's the  diaphragm's relationship to the ribs and pelvic floor ( via the fascial connections to the psoas, quadratus lumborum and transverse abdominals) or the amount of contact between them which creates the true body core. The technical term for this contact is the Zone of Apposition (ZOA). The core stability comes from your diaphragm being able to achieve a  balance of pressure within the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity.When we have a balance of thoracic and abdominal pressure we stabilize our spine due to the diaphragm's fascial connections to the spine. This ideal is rarely achieved by most people. Most people are heavily relaying on their accessory rib muscles, the neck muscles connecting to the ribs (scalenes) and the pectoral muscles (chest muscles). The utilization of these muscles create what is known as a chest breather. The longer we chest breathe the more slack we place on the diaphragm. This slack in turn translates to a laxity of the abdominal contents the small intestines begin to slump down and forward. In an attempt to compensate the pelvis begins to tilt either too far forward or backward.

How does this loss of diaphragm power and chest breathing create more problems for the over all functioning of the body? As the intercostal muscles (rib cage muscles) and the chest muscles take over the lungs begin to get less and less space. This also happens when the body is placed in a dangerous situation. When we are in danger our fight or flight response kicks in and we recruit muscles which use less energy. In this situation our bodies release stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. The unfortunate thing for our health is the brain doesn't know the difference between chest breathing due to poor posture verses our body being in danger and consequently the brain signals stress hormones for both situations. Therefore, continual chest breathing equals continual low grade stress response. Now we are in a vicious cycle of dysfunctional breathing causing a stress response and the stress response causing tension on the muscles.To break this cycle practice the 11 tips above to retrain your brain and get your diaphragm back online.

This final picture shows a very simplified take on how we breath. It also shows that if we are heavily focusing on the abdominal muscles we are primarily utilizing one directional breaths.

We want to keep remembering 3 dimensional breathing. Our goal is not to replace chest breathing with abdominal breathing but rather to lead with diaphragmatic breathing that incorporates all the respiratory muscles as well as establishing proper functional thoracic and abdominal pressure.


Want a little jump start to your diaphragm rehabilitation program?
Come on in for a massage. We can use manual manipulation of the rib cage to loosen the intercostal muscles; abdominal massage to help soften the fascia of the stomach which will help to release the diaphragm. Massaging the psoas and quadratus muscle to address the imbalance of the pelvic girdle and improve the abdominal tension. Addressing any held tension in the jaw muscles to help break the stress hormone cycle. If this all sounds good, don't wait to put your self care first, Book Your Massage Now.

Click here:
http://eclectichealingguide.fullslate.com/

Thank you for reading.

All pictures from the Anatomy Atlas. Except for my personal photo :)