The abdominal muscles are probably the most misunderstood muscle group in the back pain and anterior pelvic tilt scenarios. More often than not, the incorrect exercises are prescribed for the wrong muscle groups in the abdominal wall and are often prescribed using inappropriate repetitions, sets, and intensity. The wrong exercise prescription for this muscle group will inevitably lead to failure in addressing chronic lower back pain, and in the correction of anterior pelvic tilt.
I will caution you this now, you MUST perform these movements with as much accuracy as you possibly can. And quite frankly never be satisfied with your level of sufficiency in performing them. I highly recommend that even at some point in the future, when you have less pain or no pain at all, that you continually revisit these movements to check for your proficiency in performing them. I truly believe that the ability to perform the activations of this muscle group correctly is the key to long-term back pain relief.
The abdominal muscles are frequently weak due to all of the other muscle imbalances described earlier in this report, as well as some hidden factors that I will address later on. This muscle group is incredibly sensitive to the influence of stress, as well as biochemical changes in your internal organs.
This muscle group, like others, has attributes for both endurance as well as strength. The deeper layers of the abdominal group have the primary function of protecting the internal organs as well as creating spinal stability. These muscles are primarily endurance driven, and need to be exercised as such. The outer muscles of the abdominal wall have a primary function of performing larger motions that require more force, such as bracing the spine during sporting activity, or protecting the internal organs against major impact, such as during boxing.
There are four primary muscles to be aware of in the abdominal group:
The Rectus Abdominus
The rectus abdominus is commonly known as the six-pack muscle. This is the outermost muscle in the abdominal group. Its primary job is to flex the spine, depress the sternum, which involves bringing the chest downward, and can contribute to posterior pelvic tilt.
The External Oblique.
The external obliques are the muscles that lie next to the rectus abdominus, and their function includes rotation of the spine, side bending the spine, and may contribute again to posterior pelvic tilt.
The Internal Oblique
The internal obliques lie just underneath the external obliques and essentially perform the same type of function with the exception of being the opposite. For example, the right internal oblique will rotate the spine to the same side, while the right external oblique rotates the spine to the left.
The secondary role of the internal obliques is to perform posterior pelvic tilt, and also can contribute to side bending.
The Transverse Abdominus
The transverse abdominus is the muscle that is getting most of the buzz in the back pain community. There seems to be quite a debate about this muscle and its importance to the back pain suffer, and many individuals, particularly in the strengthening community are not a fan of using it to increase spinal stability. As with anything else in life, we need to be able to notice, what does and what does not work in specific situations and utilize various tools and techniques to achieve our outcome.
As you can see, its crucial to strengthen the abs to correct anterior pelvic tilt.
