Core muscles are the group of deep and superficial muscles surrounding your trunk — including your abdomen, back, pelvis, and diaphragm — that work together to stabilize your spine and support nearly every movement you make.
What your core muscles actually include and what they do
The core muscles aren't just your abdominals. The group includes the transverse abdominis, which wraps around your midsection like a corset; the multifidus, which runs along your spine; the pelvic floor, which forms the base of your trunk; and the diaphragm, which forms the top.
Larger muscles like the obliques, rectus abdominis, and muscles of the hips and lower back are part of the system too. Together, these muscles create a cylinder of support that keeps your spine stable during everything from lifting a heavy box to sitting at a desk for hours. When this system isn't working as a coordinated unit, your spine compensates — and that compensation is often what drives low back pain, hip pain, and recurring injury.
How Sword Health can help
Strengthening your core muscles effectively isn't about doing more crunches — it's about learning which muscles aren't activating properly and training them in a way that translates to real life. A physical therapist can assess your specific patterns and design a program built around your actual needs. Sword makes that guidance available from home, with expert oversight at every step.
About the author
Carolina Moreira
Medical Director of Clinical Development at Sword Health
