Transverse Muscles

I think transverse muscles are very important and that's the ab work I am working on with my PT. When you cough you are actually "bearing down" on your pelvic floor so that's not good. Even in some pilates exercises you bear down on the pelvic floor, or put the spine in positions that are not good for the woman's spine/pelvis (see Pilates topic).

I think this is what a lot of PTs believe will help women with UI (see the Restore topic) and lower back pain, mine included. When they say they will help you achieve a flat belly, or get rid of your "poochy belly" it's because you have been exercising your Transverse muscles incorrectly or not at all. In my case, I think I have been exercising them incorrectly since I was a teenager.

If you are doing classic ab crunch work, you are not isolating the muscle and in fact you could be bearing down. If you are doing the TA exercise correctly, it's a very slight movement.

I copied this from another site (http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/health-public-affairs/mhcs/publications/6915.html):
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Text: Musculus transversus abdominis (an abdominal muscle that helps support the back)

What does it do?
The transverse muscle of the abdomen supports the back and pelvis.
People with low back pain may have a transverse muscle of the abdomen which is not working properly
Training this support muscle can help to control the pain.

Where is it?
The muscle is the deepest of your stomach muscles.
The muscle runs across from your stomach to your back- It is also attached to your ribs and pelvis.

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I have suffered from low back pain most of my adult life. I believe had I been doing this exercise correctly, along with obtaining the proper posture the rest of the time, I may not be here, even with forcep damage, etc. Instead most of the time I had incorrect posture, along with performing exercises that were detrimental to a woman's spine/pelvic floor health. Exercises like flatten your back, press your lower back into the floor, tuck your pelvis under, etc.

Here's a simple exercise to for the TA:
Lie on the ground with your knees bent. Place a small towel underneath your lower back, to keep the natural curve in the spine. Inhale and let your belly fill with air (not your lungs). Exhale and pull in your lower belly (bikini area). Also contract your pelvic floor. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat.

It's very simple but I CANNOT achieve it unless I have that towel or my PT's hand underneath my back. I suspect a lot of women are like this.

I am very new in my Prolapse diagnosis and I am trying to piece together all I can so I know how I got here, and what I need to correct. We do have a PT on this board so if she or Christine need to correct me, please do.

HTH!

Kathy

Hi QuestGirl,

I’ve come to believe that most of us need far more than a few isolated exercises, such as those you are requesting. We need major restructuring from the ground up. I’ll tell you that I believe variations of standing/traveling leg lifts to front, side, and back, all the while maintaining the posture, to be most beneficial for the abs, both superficial and deep. But also that these need to be performed correctly, which is more instruction than I can possibly give here. I’ll let you know when I have it all down on DVD.

Christine

Hi, QuestGirl, I'm about 56 and have universal prolapse. I get a feeling of good abdominal work when I do water aerobics. We do a lot of leg lifts in the water,and I can feel my abs working, but without the pull of gravity. I think it's helping my abs without hurtintg my pelvic floor. I also want to try the towel under the spine thing, cause that sounds good too. Anyway, just a thought,

kmc55