Rebuilding your core - the foundation for a stronger spine

Written by Mathieu Stremsdoerfer, CEO and Co-Founder at Healactively

Back pain doesn't just come from the back. Often, it begins at the core.

Many people assume core training is about getting six-pack abs. But in reality, the core has far more important work to do especially when it comes to preventing and healing back pain.

Your core is the foundation of your body’s stability. When it’s strong and coordinated, it supports your spine, reduces strain, and helps you move safely. When it’s weak or inactive, other muscles are forced to compensate leading to tightness, imbalance, and pain.

What the core actually is

The core isn’t just your stomach muscles. It’s a network of deep muscles that includes:

• The transverse abdominis (deepest abdominal layer)

• The obliques (side abs)

• The diaphragm (breathing muscle)

• The multifidus (small stabilisers along the spine)

• The pelvic floor (yes, part of the core too)

These muscles work together to support the spine like a natural brace. When they’re working properly, every movement you make from standing to lifting to sitting is safer and more efficient.

Weak core, strong problem

If your core isn’t doing its job, your body will find other ways to stay upright.
Often that means:

• Overusing the lower back muscles

• Clenching or tightening the glutes

• Shifting load into the hips or neck

• Moving less, because pain makes you cautious

These compensations can create pain patterns that last for years until you address the real root: core control.

Rebuilding your core the right way

The goal isn’t to do endless crunches or planks. The goal is to reactivate deep stabilisers and integrate them into daily movement.

Start here:

• Focus on breath-led core activation (especially with diaphragmatic breathing)

• Practice slow, controlled movements like dead bugs, bird-dogs, and side planks

• Prioritise form over fatigue your brain needs clean signals to retrain control

• Use your core during real tasks getting up, walking, lifting, reaching

You don’t need intensity. You need consistency.

Why your core is key to long-term relief

Without core strength, your spine lacks a support system. Every time you move, the load goes somewhere and without that internal brace, the wrong places take the hit.

A rebuilt core:

• Absorbs shock

• Protects the spine

• Improves posture

• Reduces flare-ups

• Helps you return to normal life with less fear

Core training isn’t about “getting strong” once. It’s about building a foundation you can live on, every day.

Healactively’s take on core-first recovery

At Healactively, we don’t just throw exercises at you.
We help you rebuild from the inside out starting with the breath, the nervous system, and the deep core muscles that matter most.

Recovery isn’t about going harder. It’s about going smarter and your core is where it begins.

Ready to build a spine that’s supported from the inside?
Start your journey today with Healactively where core recovery meets real-life movement.