TRANSVERSE ABDOMINIS - A CONTINUATION OF THE CORE MUSCLES

Transverse Abdominis - A Continuation of the Core Muscles

I know it’s been a while since my last blog but, I did a bit of traveling for the holidays and like most travelers I brought a souvenir home from my trip; a very miserable sinus infection! I enjoyed my trip very much but, the loft I stayed in proved that stairs were meant for the un-injured! I went up and down this set of stairs several times a day (it was during the horrible storm/blizzard that swept the country) which got me thinking about the next core muscle in the series. “Which core muscle will I write about next?” Then, as nature usually does, it reminds you what you are made of- I felt it --while I was trekking up and down those stairs! Normally I would have loved so many stairs, built in exercise, but, I took a hard core fall off a round foam roller (normally used with myo-fascial release) while I was training a client-- the day before my trip. My back and neck were pretty tender. While I was climbing those stairs I could actually  feel my core muslces activating. Specifically the Transverse Abdominiswas engaging in order to protect my spine from the pain of vertical compression which was intensified from the inflammation caused by the fall on my rump. It got me thinking, if my Transverse Abdominis wasn’t functioning due to nerve damage or an injury of some sort, the pain in my back would be ten times more intense as I was climbing the stairs. Thank you Transverse Abdominis!

So, I know that was a long introduction, but it was a great example of what the Transverse Abdominis (T.V.) does and how you know if you are using it! It will involuntarily engage when needed; in fact it will reduce up to 40% of vertical pressure placed on the intervertebral discs (1).  Studies show us that when you perform a squat your transverse abdominis will engage to protect the low back and keep your organs intact. Perhaps you have heard of abdominal hernias? Tears in the muslce wall (a few muscles) allows the intestines to bulge out protruding from the abdomen. It does look like an alien is inside your belly. It is also very dangerous and should be treated immediately. But let's learn more about the actual muscle. 

WHERE IT’S AT

The T.V. is sandwiched between layers of fascia to separate and protect it from organs, other muscles and connective tissue. This keeps everything from getting wound up, caught on each other and holds it where it is supposed to be. It is extremely deep in the abdomen, you can’t touch it nor is it visible. It originates at the lumbar fascia,  the cartilages in between the ribs of of the lower six ribs, the iliac crest, and the inguinal ligament. Then the muscle (remember it’s a pair) inserts on the pubis, the linea alba (the white line of the rectus abdominis), and the abdominal aponeurosis. Technically it is not connected to your ribs, rather the tissue between the ribs.

Now, I know that is a lot of science, so I am going to roughly describe this for you. Imagine you drew a thick white line down the center of belly from the top of the arch in the center rib cage straight down to your pubic bone.  That imaginary line is actually called your Linea Alba, which means White Line, literally. Now, shade in the area from the white line you just drew at the very top in the arch of the rib cage (by your diaphragm) all the way down to the pubic bone. Make sure it sweeps along  the lower six ribs, and all the way down to the pelvis. (See Picture Below). 

WHAT IT DOES

The T.V. is responsible for forced expiration (pulling the abdominal wall in), compresses and supports abdominal viscera (holds your guts in), expulsion of organ contents (urination, defecating, vomiting, childbirth), and intra-abdominal pressure.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO A DANCER

This muscle is involved with every single level change you will make, including a Turkish Drop, by keeping the organs in that are under pressure, it supports the back when you lower in that level change, reduces vertical pressure on the discs, and every time you bend in half and your body is horizontal to the floor it - keeps your organs from dropping out of your belly. It helps to draw in sections of the abdomen when performing muscular undulations/belly roll. It is also considered to play an important role in flutters by drawing in the abdomen so that the flutter is more visible.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN

There is a lot of discussion surrounding this muscle and how to train it. But, most agree that when you are in the positions that you use it works best. Such as squats, or challenging it with weight in the squat position. Also, studies show benefits to performing the “Cat” position as in the cat and cow, which is very similar to the "Vaccuum" exercise. 

To perform the Vaccum Exercise or the Cat -

Begin (prone) on all fours in a table top style position- with your neck in neutral. Actively focus on pulling in the abdominal wall as if you are trying to pull the belly button towards the spine, as if a vaccuum covering your back was sucking your abdomen towards your back. You do not need to arch your back, but you can if it helps you. Repeat several repetitions up to 15. Work up to performing 3 sets of 15 repetitions every other day. When this is easy you can do these every day!

STRETCH

This is an easy stretch. You can do this standing or lying down. I suggest lying face down (pronated). Place your arms over your head and arch your back raising your upper body and feet off the floor. Your quads (thighs) should be engaged and intact with the floor. Hold for about 10 seconds and repeat twice more. This will give you a 30 second stretch without too much pressure on your back. It will also strengthen your back! It's a two-fer!

Next time you are on the stairs and step up to the next riser - see if you can feel your abdominal wall tighten as if you had a weight lifting belt on. If not, good news, you aren’t injured and you have a strong transverse abdominis!  

1     1. http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(11)00038-8/abstract

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
Volume 34, Issue 3 , Pages 164-172, March 2011

All About Your Belly Dance Body: Let's Get Superficial!

All About Your Belly Dance Body: Let's Get Superficial!: I got a little “science-y” on you last week, so I want to keep it a little easier on the brain this time. I promised a continuation of the ...

All About Your Belly Dance Body: Let's Get Superficial!

All About Your Belly Dance Body: Let's Get Superficial!: I got a little “science-y” on you last week, so I want to keep it a little easier on the brain this time. I promised a continuation of the ...

Let's Get Superficial!

I got a little “science-y” on you last week, so I want to keep it a little easier on the brain this time. I promised a continuation of the core muscles on my last blog, and, since we went pretty “deep” last time I thought we’d be a little more superficial this time! Pun intended!

Today’s muscle is definitely one of the most asked about by my clients, it is the one muscle- most people will train, it is usually trained incorrectly, and it is almost always on a magazine cover every single month. What is it? It’s the rectus abdominis. It’s not what it sounds like (ehem cough cough) it is the coveted “six pack.” Except…it is actually an eight pack! That’s right, the abdominals, or to be more accurate, one of the abdominal muscles. But, don't worry, you will be meeting the rest very soon! 

    

The rectus abdominis is considered a superficial muscle, because it is close to the surface of the skin. Its appearance is softened by a layer of abdominal fat, so the “8 pack” or eight different segments of this muscle are not usually visible.  And, if they are visible, most people only notice a “six pack” because, the first three sections have tendinous intersections (seperations) that create the definition between them, and the linea alba (white line) which divides the right and left sides of this muscle making each of them the more visible.  The lower two are not as obvious as they are longer and attach at the pubic bone. Needless to say, there are eight of them! But, it doesn’t matter if you can see them or not, what matters is that you understand how they work, or don’t work, for your body.

Where it’s at -This muscle originates at the top of the pubis crest and pubis symphysis and inserts on the 5^th, 6^th & 7^th costal cartilages, medial inferiorcostal margin and posterior aspect of the xiphoid. OMG THERE SHE GOES AGAIN! WHAT?! I KNOW- I promised! (I actually talk like this!). 

Okay, so here is a not-so-scientific version of that. It begins at the top of the pubic bone, and connects to cartilage that attaches the ribs to the sternum and the lowest dangly part of the sternum. It has six seperations, tendinous intersections, between them and the linea alba (white line), which runs down the center dividing the two sides, right and left. (see depiction below).

By law- one dimension and two dimension anatomy pictures cannot be copyrighted. Artist's name was not provieded.

What it does-The rectus abdominis is responsible for the forward flexion of the lumbar spine (L1-L5), bringing the rib cage towards the pelvis (think of scooping in the belly button area), helps with forced expiration, and raising the intra-abdominal pressure— like, when you push down for a bowel movement. It also assists in bending sideways and stabilizes the trunk when you are lying down and you raise your head up. Another important note on the core, this muscle is responsible for tipping the pelvis forward (bringing the top back and the bottom forward) which helps the proper positioning of the erector spinae (another core muscle).

Here is a REALLY REALLY cool thing to know! The tenidinous intersections mentioned above actually allow you to bend at varying degrees so you can activate only what is needed. If you need to bend a little bit- you will activate the first two sections, if the degree of bend you need is tighter- then you will activate the first four, and so on and so on, pretty cool huh!

Why it’s important to a dancer- Now that we know what it is, where it’s at, and what it does, let’s discuss how it’s used as a belly dancer! Where do we begin?!  There are actually a lot of ways you are going to use this muscle, but, the moves that come to mind are the undulation and the camel. Both of these moves require the rectus abdominins to scoop in and pull the pelvis up and then release in order for these moves to be well defined, in fact- repeatedly in some cases. You will also use your rectus abdominis while “popping” your lower abs in and out for an accent. Be careful, you can easily overuse this muscle and create unwanted torque, particularly in the camel. Another way this muscle is used is that it assists with stabilization during side bends or sways, and the coveted floor work.  More specifically, floor work with a sword somewhere on your head! And also Turkish drops. 

How to strengthen it - One of my favorite moves to put my clients through is pretty difficult, so I’ll give you two levels, and level 2 will be noted in the parentheses. 

Begin by collecting either a broom handle, resistance band, or extremely light weight medicine ball 2 lbs., or 2 lbs dumbbell (or pair of  heavy dumbbells if you are extremely fit). Lay on your back with your knees slightly bent (raise your legs up into table top at 90* angle). Take your object/s of preference and place it over your chest (the nipple line to be exact) as if you were going to do a chest press and begin to raise your shoulders off the floor, as if you were trying to push the object to the ceiling. You will notice that as the shoulders lift off the ground the angle of the shoulders change, however-- the shoulders are actually fixed. This is only because the upper body is changing from flat, to facing diagonally. This is expected. 

 *If you choose to raise your legs this will target the tilt of the pelvis we are desire and emphasize the scooping in of the rectus abdominis. By doing this it removes the hip flexors from taking over. All too often, the hip flexors take over in most sit ups. Try to raise the legs off the ground, even if it is straight up in the air for better rectus abdominis recruitment in all your rectus abdominis exercises. 

Repeat this for 12 repetitions and build up to three sets over several weeks 6-12 weeks. And you can perform this move as often as three times a week, with one day off in between if it is weighted. If it’s done with body weight only you can do it every day. If you need more clarification, email me using the contact option and I will help answer your question. I sense I need to add a video for some of these in the future. This exercise is for those with no health concerns and feel they have a clear understanding of how to perform this move. Always follow the advice of your physician. 

How to Stretch it- The rectus abdominis feels SO GOOD when you stretch it! And, it’s one of the easiest to stretch. I like to stretch this muscle on the stability ball, but if you have a bad back I suggest you go very slowly and play it by ear. If you feel discomfort, STOP!  This stretch is for those with generally no health concerns. Always follow the advice of your physician. 

This move is a lot like a supported back bend. Begin by sitting on top of a stability ball.  Walk your legs forward as your upper body lowers onto the ball. Once you are lying horizontally, slowly walk your feet towards the ball moving your upper body off the ball and off the back, as if you were performing a supported back bend. Begin with only allowing the head and shoulders to round off the back at the top of the ball and make sure the top of your butt is touching the ball as well. If you can’t do this, your ball is either too big or too small for you!  Hold this for about 20-30 seconds. You only need this once! 

FACTOIDS- 

1) The button you use to blow up a stability ball is actually the side of the ball. Always place the button sideways and sit on the top. 

2) Also, if you have a hard time getting a stability ball to stay in place, place the button on the floor. It will roll a bit, but generally will stay in place. 

3) Balls  deflate when they are stored in cold rooms as cold air is less dense. Check your balls in the winter and make sure they properly inflated! 

Enjoy!

All About Your Belly Dance Body: Core Muscles & the Multifidus-a Core StabilizerI...

All About Your Belly Dance Body: Core Muscles & the Multifidus-a Core Stabilizer I...: Core Muscles & the Multifidus-a Core Stabilizer I was having a conversation with a fellow dancer and personal trainer who has c...

Core Muscles & the Multifidus-a Core Stabilizer

I was having a conversation with a fellow dancer and personal trainer who has created a website focused on the importance of posture. She has suffered with chronic low back pain for years, as have I. Our common quests to find and correct the root of the pain has driven both of us to research the science behind better back health, not just for a dancer, but for everyone. Check out her website the “Power of Posture” at ( http://www.thepowerofposture.net/ ). 

But, what does posture and back care have to do with the core? Well, a healthy- pain free back and good posture relies heavily on the core muscles. The core goes much deeper than most people think. The core muscles have superficial muscles and deep muscles. We will be discussing one of the deepest muscles of the core today, the Multifidus. You get a two-fer today what is the core and you get to learn about one fo the muscles! My present to you- Happy Holidays! 

Core's Purpose 

First, let’s answer the question- what is the core’s purpose?” Then we will identify which muscles make up the core. The core muscles are responsible for stabilization, and balance. I know some of you are thinking “isn’t stabilization and balance the same?” No, not exactly, but they do work together. 

Stabilization

When your body is stable you can control the movement or position of the trunk with core stabilizers regardless of what your legs and arms are doing whether you are balanced or not. 

Balance

Balance has a broader definition, but, generally speaking, balance keeps your body upright and over your center of gravity. Balance occurs with the use of your sight (visual input), your proprioception (the sensation of the level of exertion and movement your body is making in relation to its parts and surroundings, aka perception), and your equilibrium (processes all the incoming information to create a state of balance).

Let me give you a descriptive picture of the difference between stability and balance in dance and then you will see why we train both of these. For example, if you are trying to do a lateral body snake –stability prevents your spine or pelvis from wiggling or twisting, and keeping it in the intended plane or the track of movement (multifidus).  Balance in a body snake keeps you from doing a head dive when your trunk leads the movement outside the center of gravity (your feet). Your body’s sensorimotor system identifies the center of gravity (your feet and legs in this scenario), processes the shifting of weight, its distribution path, and adjusts your body to keep it from falling over. Essentially balance adjusts your center of gravity with the movement and keeps you standing, sitting or kneeling. If you have ever had too much to drink, alcoholic beverages, you have experienced impaired balance --working overtime to keep you up on your feet!

Which Muscles Makes Up the Core Muscles

There are several muscles that make up the core and several ideas as to what muscles make up the core, but these are agreed upon by professionals. These include the erector spinae, the multifidus, quadratus lumborum, transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, and abdominal obliques.

You have already met one of the core muscles, the Quadratus Lumborum, featured  in a previous blog on December 12, 2013, take a look and see where this muscle is, what it does, and how to care for it with this link: 

à( http://fireopaldawnfitness.blogspot.com/2013/12/quadratus-lumborum-must-know-muscle-for.html ).  

Why it's Important to a Dancer

Finally- here we are, the Multifidus.  This muscle has recently become noteworthy due to a study in 2012 regarding the timing of its activation, using electromyography (EMG), in correlation to movement within the body. “Research shows a delay in multifidus activation (a core stabilizer) in individuals with low back pain, while healthy back individuals, the activation precedes extremity movement” (http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5343&context=etd). 

Remember this muscle is a stabilization muscle. So, if you are a low back pain sufferer you are more likely to have a delayed activation of this stabilizing muscle. This is vital to prevent injury.  As a dancer, it is important that your ability to activate your core stabilizers before movement is functioning. This will make the difference between the dancer that looks smooth and effortless and the dancer that looks shaky in many moves. Especially moves with level changes, body snakes, sways, bent over movement, etc...,  all depends on your spinal stabilization. More importantly it  is key in injury prevention

Where It’s At!

This muscle is part of the back extensors, it runs very deep from the sacrum all the way up the spine, attaching onto the sides of the transverse processes (the knobby part) of the vertebrae, and inserting at the axis (the point in which the neck starts to rotate). More specifically, this muscle stabilizes the individual vertebrae that are moving within the column. It also helps to protect the vertebrae by keeping them where they belong.  

How to Make it Strong

Perform a bridge with alternating leg raise by lying on your back with your knees bent; your ankles should be directly below your knees.  With feet flat on the floor raise your glutes and trunk off the floor while resting body weight between your feet and your upper back/shoulders. Try to think about pulling all of your muscles, front, back and sides, towards the spine if you could. While you are suspended in the bridge position, extend the right leg at the knee, lifting the foot off the floor. Once you have extended your right knee, replace it and extend the left knee, continuing this for a total of 12 leg extensions. Repeat this a second time. If you have or experience low back pain or knee pain, try this exercise without extending the leg and slowly build your strength over time to accommodate the knee extension.

How to Stretch the Multifidus

This muscle is very deep and attached to your individual vertebrae and sacrum. You can stretch this deep muscle by performing a “Rag-Doll” stretch. Begin by standing upright with your feet approximately 4-6” between your heels. Take your chin and tuck it towards your chest, rest in this position for a moment approximately 15 seconds.  Continue the stretch by arching your upper back (pulling your abs towards your spine and pushing back out the back), rest in this position for about 10 seconds. Next continue the stretch by rolling all the way down into the rag doll stretch and rest in this position for about 10-15 seconds, assuming your hands touch the floor you can walk your hands to the outside of each foot. Safely roll back up by placing the right hand above the right knee, then the left hand above the left knee and bring the head above the heart creating a flat back. Wait a few moments as your head was upside down for some time, if you get light headed come up between each position of the stretch. After you have your “head back” either lift in a strong flat back or roll up the body one vertebra at a time.  Do this stretch every day after your body is warmed up, and always after dance. 

Look for more core muscles for dancers coming soon! 

Meet the Piriformis -can you be a royal pain in the arse, or are you more likely to get a pain in the arse!

WHAT?! I was so excited to share science with you that I went ahead and wrote you another mini-article to introduce you to a very important and overused muslce in dance. You can overuse this muscle simply by standing all day. It's not hard to do. But, with all the glute contractions we do as belly dancers you are more likely to have overuse injuries in this area than most others.  

I have always found this muscle fascinating because, of the amount of pain it has personally caused me as a dancer and former long distance runner; not to mention the number of clients I have had over my 12 years of training that suffer from a tight piriformis, many athletes actually do. 

If you haven't figured it out by now the piriformis is located in the buttocks, or gluteal region. And, when this muscle, along with the glutes, becuase they usually go hand in hand, are too tight- it can apply unwanted pressure on the sciatica nerve which runs below this muscle and create a weak leg/s and painful lower back. It is sometimes misdiagnosed as sciatica (1,2). Because the muscles can actually shorten when chronically tight, it usually takes a comitted effort with physical therapy to return it to its intended state. 

Let's meet the Piriformis
It is one of 6 muscles in a group that laterally rotates the hip; for example when a dancer turns out his or her feet. It is an important muscle to science because, it originates on the sacrum (part of pelvis at the bottom of spinal column, just above the coccyx) (see this side view of the sacrum and sciatic foramen from Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopedics ).  Then the piriformis runs next to the gluteus medius, yet under the Maximus, and here is the most exciting part, the sciatic nerve runs right below it. Then the piriformis passes through a hole in the pelvis and attaches to the femur (thigh/leg bone). This is to make sure you aren't checked out yet! Go Wildcats! 

Tightness usually comes from, but not limited to, muscular imbalances, deformities, over use, and poor stretching habits (2). Belly Dancers usually fall under over use and poor stretching habits. Here are the two scientific articles I have referenced above. Feel free to visit them. 
1.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0885392491900294

2. http://www.jaoa.org/content/108/11/657.full

How to strengthen the Piriformis with the Bridge: Lie on your back and bend your knees, brininging your your ankles directly below your knees. With flat feet, hip width apart approximately 4-6” between the inside of heels, contract your glutes and begin to lift your glutes off the ground as high as you can raise it, to create the ideal bridge position (looks like a flat sided triangle), once you have reached your maximum lift to create a paralell body, lower and repeat this move  for 12 repetitions every day and then build over several weeks to three sets of 12 repetitions. You can do this move everyday because it is your body weight. We are not adding additional resistance to this move. If you did add a dumbbell, you would have to scale back to every other day. 

Stretch: Always warm up before you stretch. Stretch this muscle daily and especially-- immediately after each time you dance. You can stretch your piriformis while sitting in a chair. Begin by sitting up with both feet on floor in front of you. Cross your right ankle above the left knee. With your right ankle crossed above the left knee begin to lean forward with the intention to place your chest on your lap (I said intention) creating additional resistance on your right thigh.  You can also apply additional resistance on your leg using your right hand instead of leanging the body forward. It is a matter of preference and flexibility. Hold this for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. 

PLEASE NOTE! 
**While sitting in a chair notice  the position of the right knee. If it is not pointing sideways, you may have a tight piriformis/glute region.
**Note-Never place your ankle on your knee joint. This can cause pressure on the knee and loosen ligaments and tendons in the joint; just as you should never place your hand/s on your knee to assist you in getting up from the floor. Place it higher on the meaty part of your upper thigh called your quadriceps**