Region

Core

Abdomen

The core is the muscular cylinder of the trunk: rectus abdominis down the front, the obliques wrapping the sides, transversus abdominis as the deep corset, with the diaphragm as its roof and the pelvic floor as its base. Its job is less about producing movement than controlling it — bracing the spine so the arms and legs have something solid to work against. People come to a therapist for the core because of a trunk that fatigues or gives way under load, back pain that keeps returning, breathing that has gone shallow and high, and difficulty rebuilding after abdominal surgery or pregnancy.