I’m a big proponent of “core strength.” If you don’t know what that is then stick around for awhile. Your core is a combination of your abs, upper and lower back muscles and even your quads and hamstrings. The strength or lack of same impacts pretty much everything you do every day like walking, running, lifting and reaching. If your core strength is lacking — let’s say your idea of exercise is occasionally getting up off the couch for a beer — the core muscles will atrophy and life as you know it will most certainly suck.

So what to do? Well how about developing your core for starters. A weak core can have a negative impact on your posture and is a major reason for lower backache. It also causes misalignments in the spine which can pinch the nerves in the lower back and cause a lot of discomfort.

Enter the Chiropractor

We’ll go on the assumption that your core strength is about two beers short of a six-pack. Personal maintenance can help: Lose some weight for starters to take the pressure off your lower back. Practice good posture. Exercise on a regular basis. En route to those solutions your chiropractor can work on what’s ailing you as well.

An article on LimitlessHealth.com explains that “Causes of low back pain can vary, so proper diagnosis is important.” Lower back pain has forever been associated with spinal deficiency so it goes to reason that correcting the “structure” will help eliminate the pain.

Standard chiropractic adjustments, adds Limitless Health, are a start to creating long-term changes to the ligaments of the spine but it is structural or postural correction that may offer the best solution. 

That said, your chiropractor can impact your core strength but also work with you to get your spine and joint strength back up to par as well.  

Strong Abs and Back, Strong Core

We all want abs of steel but realistically that is not going to happen. In fact, if your exercise regimen is on the low end, you don’t want to over-exert yourself by putting the type of pressure on your lower back that an abdominal workout can provide.

Your best bet is to gradually build up. For beginners, just exercising can do wonders. Movement in general, whether walking or biking or swimming, will impact and improve your core strength to a degree.

When you strengthen your core, you work on all your muscles of the upper and lower body. This improves your posture and helps keep your limbs in proper alignment. And if you are standing tall you are also breathing deeper and better. Improved posture also reduces the risk of a herniated disc or vertebrae degeneration.

It’s all interrelated: Core strength helps you prevent injury and lessen back pain. Core-strengthening exercises are necessary to improve spine strength and provide relief from both acute as well as chronic back pain. Your chiropractor can teach you what is most effective.

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150503-Z-OU450-042 by North Carolina National Guard is licensed under CC BY 4.0