STRENGTHENING ABDOMINAL MUSCLES WILL NOT RELIEVE YOUR TIGHT BACK MUSCLES
Strengthening your core by tightening your abdominal muscles does not relieve chronic back pain. In fact, this approach could potentially make things worse!
April 19, 2025
Resolve Pain Guru
Strengthening your core by tightening your abdominal muscles does not relieve chronic back pain. In fact, this approach could potentially make things worse!
When you take the approach to strengthen or tighten the belly muscles in order to counterbalance a tight back you are working against your body. The result is a co-contraction of the front and back body muscles which creates a braced-liked situation that layers on more problems than it does solutions.
Why strengthening abdominal muscles will not relieve your tight back muscles
When you strengthen the abdominal muscles to make them “JUST AS TIGHT” as the back muscles the result is a rigid co-contraction of the front and back body. This creates a braced or locked down scenario. This solution does not address the root cause of your tight back muscles. Your back muscles remain tight and now you have added tight abdominal muscles which inhibits proper functional movement from the center of the body. This will exhibit in a variety of ways:
a) difficulty lifting your arms up alongside the ears with straight elbows,
b) knee or foot pain,
c) poor bowel function
d) restricted breath.
e) weak core muscles
f) tight hip flexors
g) weak gluteal muscles
A stunning combination of symptoms that lead to instability and chronic pain. Abdominal strengthening becomes a band-aid solution and catalyst for more complications instead of a solution.
How to relieve your tight back muscles through a process of re-education.
“If you want to untie a knot, you must look at the cord carefully then gently undo the tangle. Yanking on the cord will only make the knot tighter.” — Thomas Hanna.
Thomas Hanna, the founder of Hanna Somatics recognized that pain resides in the brain. If your muscles are controlled by your brain then utilizing the brain to help muscles release makes sense. He developed a technique he called PANDICULATION,
The technique of Pandiculation addresses the brain's role in chronically held knots in the body. This methodology teaches you how to relieve your tight back muscles by retraining your brain to take control over them again.
Re-establishing cortical control over your tight back muscles means that you start by contracting them a little more incorporating the brain in the action. Yes that is right! Instead of lengthening your tight back muscles, you actually contract them a little more. Then invite them to slowly lengthen as you release the contraction. This process called Pandiculation creates a release response to relieve your tight back muscles.
Ready to relieve your tight back muscles? Join our Video on Demand Channel where you can take classes, learn this method and start feeling great again.
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