Your core sits at the centre of where all movement happens and plays a vital role in protecting your spine and keeping stability. The name core is a collective term for the muscles in your trunk including rectus abdominis – in the front of your trunk (or 6 pack as some people know it), erector spinae – muscles in your back, obliques – side muscles, and transverse abdominals – deepest core muscle that protects and wraps around your organs, multifidus deep back muscles that run down your whole spine, pelvic floor muscles that sit at the base of your core, and your diaphragm muscles which help you fill and empty your lungs
Your core being in the middle of the body is connected to both your lower and upper body. Giving your core the big job of coordinating and gathering support from your surrounding muscles to help stabilise your hips and spine. Your core transfers power between your limbs, into your upper and lower body through your movements. It is your powerhouse. The stronger your core is (remember this means your back too) the more powerful, dynamic and explosive your movements will be while protecting your spine and helping to keep you injury free.
The reason I put all this info in here is to explain the importance of understanding how everything in your body is interconnected. Understanding this will change the way you workout and can have a huge impact on your life. So often I have seen back,leg, shoulder, and neck injuries which have severely impacted people’s lives. However the good thing is there are steps we can take to alleviate this or prevent it happening in the first place. What we need to understand is most of our jobs and everyday tasks involve a certain movement pattern, i.e sitting or bending forward for long periods of time, causing our bodies to adjust to the more common posture used. When we do this we cause tightening in hips, calves, hamstrings, shoulders, chest and weakening in the glutes, and core. What happens at this point is the foundation for your hips change, pulling it into a position which then has a chain reaction putting stress on other joints, ligaments and muscles pulling your body out of balance. What people don’t realise is this doesn’t just affect muscles aches and pains, it also has a huge impact on your organs and emotional wellbeing. Think of it this way your organs feed your body with the right nutrients, oxygen and blood to ensure everything is in balance and each organ gets what it needs for optimum health. If your pelvis and spine changes location then the organs that are protected by these structures will change too. This compresses nerves and organs, which in turn reduces their effectiveness and overtime causes serious health conditions and affects your mental health. Fitness goes well beyond just looking good, it’s way more important than that! Physical health and a balanced body can help your mind, body and soul to allow you to get the most out of your life, to work harder and longer but also to enjoy life and all that it has to offer.
So when we talk about a neutral pelvis, it is talking about ensuring the foundation of your body is in a position that can best perform each movement to prevent injury. There are a range of reasons you may have a pelvic tilt and it can sometimes be helpful going to a GOOD physician that doesn’t just look at the acute problem but actually looks into what is the root of your issues. For example if you have a back injury this may actually stem from weak glutes and tight calves and hamstrings pulling your pelvis out which then changes what muscles are recruited for each movement. However if you are spending equal time working through all parts of your body including dynamic stretches and slow controlled movements you are making a great start! This is a very basic explanation of the whole topic however hopefully when you read through you may gather some more understanding of what is happening in your body and how to alleviate strain and stress. This is why slow movements are so important, when you are doing a movement pattern your body will do it in the easiest way it can, saving as much energy as possible. This means that we often need to retrain our movement patterns and have to actively think about the muscles we need to be using in order for you to be able to change this incorrect pattern. This takes time and focus, but I can promise you it’s worth it. You deserve this, give yourself the time and space you need to make the adjustments your body is craving.