Fix the Foundation: How Pilates Builds Core Strength to Relieve Back Pain
STRONG TO THE CORE SERIES PART 1
This post kicks off a 3-part series on the basics of core stability, fixing stubborn back pain, and how to rebuild your body’s foundation using Pilates principles.
If you’ve been stretching your hamstrings, foam rolling your hips, or doing endless core exercises and still feel stuck with back pain, you’re not alone.
I struggled with lower back pain and hip, shoulder, and neck issues for over a decade and nothing seemed to work to fix it (you can read about my personal journey here), until I started focusing on stabilizing — not just strengthening — the muscles of my core.
Now I live pain-free and I’m on a mission to share what I’ve learned.
Tight hamstrings? This is a core instability problem!
The truth is that the way the muscles, joints, and fascia work interdependently is misunderstood by so many people.
I went to multiple physical therapists; I tried massage therapies of all kinds; I stretched and foam rolled diligently, went for regular Chiropractic adjustments… I even tried acupuncture and cupping.
Nothing seemed to help all the aches and pains that kept popping up in my body!
Until I realized that my core was inherently unstable and throwing everything off.
Keep reading and I’ll give you the simplest way to understand why focusing on trunk STABILITY is the smart way to resolve your persistent aches and pains - not just in your back, but EVERYWHERE.
Curious about how I can help you? Reach out to me here!
Picture this: You’ve just bought a house.
You start to notice some issues: the doors don’t close quite right, the windows are drafty and off track, and nothing seems to align properly.
So you spend time and money fixing all the doors and windows, but the same issues keep coming back.
Then one day, you head down to the basement and spot a major crack in the foundation. You call in an expert, and sure enough—your foundation is uneven. It’s throwing the entire structure out of alignment.
Suddenly it clicks: the real problem isn’t the doors or windows—it’s the base everything depends on.
Your body works the same way. If your core—your body’s foundation—is unstable or misaligned, it affects everything built on top of it.
When the core is not up to the task certain bossy muscles compensate, taking on jobs that they shouldn’t, causing a ripple effect of trouble.
Here are some examples of "doors and windows" in the body
Head/Neck/Shoulders/Upper Back
Chronically stiff neck, jaw, and shoulders; Thoracic Outlet Syndrome; Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders; disproportionately sore neck and shoulders after workouts; frequently “throwing neck out;” frequent headaches; feelings of pressure in the head; frequently hearing bones pop, crack, or shift; shoulder blade pain; shoulder impingements; overhead mobility limitations
Chest/Mid-Back/Ribs
Dysfunctional breathing mechanics; poor oxygen exchange; struggle to improve cardiorespiratory endurance; a ribcage that is stuck in a rotation or side bend; pain on one side of the trunk; a feeling of pulling a long one side of the trunk or diagonally across the front or back of the body; rib pain
Core/Lower Back/Pelvis
Struggling to employ core engagement cues in your own body; frequently feeling core exercises “in the lower back,” especially when legs are off the ground; frequently pulling out the lower back when doing activity, or even when sneezing or putting on pants (I’ve done both); favoring one side or one leg; jacking up one hip; feeling pain on one side of the lower back; radiating butt pain (Scatica); pelvic floor dysfunction such as groin pain; trouble going to the bathroom; painful sex; lower back and hip stiffness when rising from a seated position; trouble standing for long periods without pain; leg length discrepancy; frequently feeling or hearing vertebrae popping or shifting
Hips/Knees/Feet
Limited hip mobility; Tight Hamstrings; Plantar Fasciitis (pain/tightness along the bottom of the foot); flat arches; high arches; Degenerative toe joint issues such as bunions and Hallux Rigidus; frequently injured ankles; feeling of instability in ankle; knees bowing inward or outward; knee pain after activity; frequent knee injuries; Hips that feel pinched (impingements); atrophied glutes or struggle getting glutes to grow; not being able to feel glute exercises in the glutes
This is just a short list of examples! I experienced most of these in my long relationship with back pain at some point or another.
Consider them as helpful clues. They can tell us how aligned we are (or aren’t) and how to choose the exercises we should or should not do so that we receive the greatest benefit without wasting time or doing harm.
Curious about how I can help you? Reach out to me here!
A depiction of all the misalignments from functional scoliosis - a postural pattern that I struggled with for years.
An Optimized Core
When the core is working properly, the body should feel completely at ease! All bones are balanced with equal tension from their attached muscles and move in controlled harmony within their joints.
One way I help clients understand if they are on the right track with their alignment and control is if an exercise like standing heel raises feels “light and effortless” with an equal sense of upward lift and outward expansion.
Ballet dancers have to be incredibly strong to achieve the characteristic look of effortless grace in their movements.
Helpful Analogies
Imagine a tug-of-war with a perfectly balanced rope: if both teams pull with equal force, the rope remains stationary, demonstrating how joints, like the rope, experience equal tension from opposing forces. In the body, these forces are supposed to pull with equal tension, helping the joints to “float” in their sockets. They are called Force couples.
The shoulder blade has 17 muscles attached to it! Three pairs act as Force couples to balance the joints as the muscles exert force.
If we zoom out and picture the core as a whole we can imagine a Chinese finger trap. All of the sheets of muscle and fascia in our trunk weave together to create dynamic stability and compression through tension. In Pilates we refer to this as “Opposition” and use it to create the characteristic long and toned physique adherents are known for.
The spiral mechanics of a Chinese finger trap are mirrored in the body.
When we activate our core 360 degrees using our breath, an equal outward force is created, resulting in a pressurized canister of stability. In resistance training, this technique is referred to as “bracing” and used to stabilize the spine while lifting weights.
Curious about how I can help you? Reach out to me here!
The muscles of the inner core maintain intra-abdominal pressure and prevent pain-causing micromovements along the spine.
Where Things Go Wrong
If the deep, stabilizing muscles closest to the bones of your spine, ribcage, and pelvis—aren’t doing their job to stabilize the spine, then everything else has to work harder to compensate. It throws everything off from the center of the body, outward.
Poor posture can lead to compensations that disrupt the natural balance of forces in the body. Repetitive movements, lifestyle demands, negative emotions, injuries, and illnesses can also cause disruption.
While stretching, massage, and isolated joint strengthening may provide some temporary symptom relief, these things are not addressing the root cause.
Without addressing core stability, this won’t resolve anything.
A Simple Way to Check Core Stability
Testing your balance standing on one leg is a great test of your core stability. Check out my video to make sure you’re not cheating!
Try standing on one leg with your eyes closed. If you start wobbling right away, that’s a sign your deep stabilizers aren’t firing the way they should.
Video: Walk through a Core stability self check with me!
VIDEO LINK
Instagram/YouTube: “A simple test to check if your core stabilizers are firing”
Incorporating Pilates into your routine can address the root causes of back pain by enhancing core stability, improving posture, and promoting mindful movement.
By focusing on deep stabilizing muscles, Pilates not only alleviates existing discomfort but also helps prevent future issues.
My Go-To Exercises for Core Stability - Is this going to be the lead magnet?
VIDEO:
Stay tuned for the next installment in our series, where we'll delve deeper into understanding core stability and debunk common misconceptions surrounding it.
