Struggling with Back Pain? Here’s Why Your Core Might Be a Missing Piece.

Let’s talk about a phrase that gets thrown around a lot:
“Engage your core.”

If you’ve ever dealt with back pain, chances are you’ve heard this before — maybe from a physio, a trainer, or even YouTube. But what does it actually mean? And why does it matter?

Recently, one of my patients had a bit of a lightbulb moment.
She said:

“I finally felt the difference in my back when I actually braced my core properly.”

And that little shift? Game changer.

Engaging Your Core ≠ Squeezing Everything

A lot of people think “engage your core” means tensing your abs as hard as possible — like you’re bracing for a punch or trying to make your stomach flat.
But real core engagement isn’t about squeezing or clenching everything.

It’s about creating stability while breathing — especially when you move.

Your core isn’t just your abs. It includes your diaphragm, pelvic floor, deep abdominals, and lower back muscles.
They all work together to keep your spine supported when you bend, lift, walk, squat — you name it.

So What Does Bracing Properly Actually Look Like?

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

1. Start with your breath
   Take a deep breath in through your nose, expanding your rib cage (not just your belly).
   You want to feel your sides and back expand, too — like a canister.

2. Set your ribs
   As you exhale, gently draw your ribs down and in — not with a crunch, just enough to feel a bit of tension build.

3. Create light tension
   Imagine you're about to lift something heavy, or someone’s going to poke you in the side. That slight, intentional tension is your brace.
   Not 100% max effort — think 30–40%. Enough to support, not restrict.

4. Now move
   Whether you’re doing a squat, lifting your kid, or walking up a hill — hold that light brace while still breathing. That’s the magic.

Why This Matters for Back Pain

When your core isn’t firing properly, your back often picks up the slack.
And over time, that can lead to:

• Ongoing low back tension

• A “pinchy” feeling during movement

• Fatigue or weakness in your hips and glutes

• Repeated flare-ups despite doing “core work”

By bracing well, you’re helping your spine feel supported — which often reduces pain and helps you move better without fear.

What My Patient Noticed

After learning how to breathe and brace intentionally, she felt:

✅ Less discomfort when bending
✅ More control during exercises
✅ Less gripping in her lower back
✅ And a lot more confidence moving through her day

It wasn’t a fancy exercise. It was just a new awareness of how her body worked.

Are You Doing “Core” Work That’s Not Helping Your Back?

If your back still hurts despite doing planks, bridges, and crunches — it might not be the exercise that’s the issue.
It might be how you’re doing it.

So before you add more reps, start here:

• Can you breathe through your brace?

• Are your ribs stacked over your pelvis?

• Are you tensing everything, or creating smart, supportive tension?

That’s what turns a regular core exercise into a tool for reducing back pain — and keeping it away.

Need Help Putting This into Practice?

This is exactly the kind of thing we break down 1:1 at The Recovery Project.
We help you go beyond the basics and actually train your core in a way that makes sense for your back and your life.

If you’re tired of doing the right things and still getting nowhere, book in and let’s figure it out together.