Abdominal Core muscles support vital organs, aid movement, and require care through exercise and medical intervention to prevent and treat conditions like hernias and muscle damage.
The abdominal core, tucked deep inside your body, is often overlooked despite its importance. However, this large and important part of your body plays a key role in your overall health. A growing field of medicine now focuses on abdominal core health. It examines how to incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle and addresses serious medical issues when this area is damaged.
Dr. Charlotte Horne, a surgeon specializing in metabolic and abdominal wall reconstruction at Mayo Clinic, discusses the basics of abdominal core health, tips to keep it strong, and what might lead to conditions that need surgical care. “Your abdominal core is essentially the muscular wall that surrounds and protects your abdomen,” Dr. Horne explains. “The core begins at the diaphragm and stretches down to the pelvic support muscles. Most of it is made up of muscle and connective tissue. It acts like a muscular container supporting your internal organs.
Every time you breathe, twist, or strain during something like a bowel movement, you’re engaging those muscles.” Dr. Horne explains that the abdominal core includes the well-known “six-pack” muscles, the obliques, and the layers of tissue that wrap around the upper abdomen and connect to the body’s midline. There are also many nerves running between these muscle and tissue layers, which branch out to the groin, thighs, back, and hips. Dr. Horne says those muscles work together as a group, and your body relies on that group to move and do everyday tasks.
Strengthening your core’s structure can be achieved by using it during regular activities, she shares. You don’t need to do endless sit-ups or turn into a bodybuilder, she adds. “We’re starting to see how important it is to teach people to use these muscles during simple actions like sitting up, standing, or lifting things,” she says. “In yoga or Pilates, for example, they often tell you to pull your belly button toward your spine. That small motion steadies the deep muscles in your abdominal area. “Improving the health of your abdominal core means using and controlling your abdominal muscles. “It’s about pulling everything in and holding it steady,” says Dr. Horne.
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Many things can lead to abdominal core issues. Cancer treatment, inflammatory bowel diseases, long-term or severe coughing, and complications like diastasis recti from pregnancy or surgeries are some causes. The most frequent issue people face is hernias. This occurs when a part of an organ or tissue pushes through a weak spot in a muscle. Dr. Horne explains that coughing can create large hernias. “When you cough, you strain and put sudden pressure inside your abdomen. It’s like a quick punch coming from inside or out.” “Doing that puts a lot of stress on your abdominal wall.”
Dr. Horne explains that avoiding smoking and drinking too much alcohol can protect the health of your abdominal core. Smoking raises the chance of long-term coughing, while drinking to the level of cirrhosis, leads to hormonal shifts that weaken the abdominal wall. Dr. Horne also notes that as we learn more about abdominal core health, better ways to protect and heal it are emerging. For instance, pregnancy stretches the muscles to make room for the baby, and sometimes they do not return to their original state. Following exercise routines during and after pregnancy can help keep those muscles stable.
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Health experts now understand that stopping movement after surgery might not always be beneficial and can sometimes cause harm. Instead of advising patients not to lift anything, Dr. Horne recommends teaching them how to use their muscles and tendons. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are more likely to require surgery, which increases their chances of hernias. According to Dr. Horne, surgeons have learned to place mesh in specific anatomical areas for these patients. This prevents the mesh from contacting the bowel and reduces the risk of future complications. She also points out that pelvic floor physical therapy can help women deal with urinary or faecal incontinence after pregnancy or menopause.
Experts are realizing more and more that hernia mesh doesn’t fit everyone’s needs the same way. Dr. Horne studies hernia repair in women looking into both meshes and the methods used with them. She handles challenging hernia operations in her work. Dr. Horne says most of her patients have more of their organs outside the abdominal cavity than inside it. Even for hernias measuring 10 to 15 centimetres, she explains, surgeries can be performed using robotic tools to keep incisions smaller, or by combining robotic and minor open surgery. She relies on 3D-printed models to prepare for these procedures. Sometimes doctors use Botox to help stretch the abdominal wall muscles.
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Dr. Horne explains, “The amazing part is patients can come into the hospital with a non-functional abdominal wall and leave with it working in about a week.” She adds, “The best moment is at their one-year checkup when they tell me, ‘I used to feel like I couldn’t do anything, but now I’ve travelled, accomplished so much, and done things I’ve dreamed of for years.’ It’s incredible to see them so thrilled to move past all of it.”
Source:
Sharon Theimer (April 3, 2025). Your abdominal core: Expert shares tips for protecting a part of the body you may not think about. Mayo Clinic. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/your-abdominal-core-expert-shares-tips-for-protecting-a-part-of-the-body-you-may-not-think-about/
Disclaimer:
The content on this website is intended to support, not replace, medical treatment and advice. Please seek professional advice if you believe you may have a condition. No content on this site should ever be construed as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor or other healthcare professional.
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