A must-read for herniated discs! How to breathe with tight grip on your inner musclesOrthopedic surgeon Jae Wook Lee

Breathing Step 1 to Strengthen Your Core Muscles

I'm going to talk about breathing exercises that strengthen the muscles in your core. Stage 1 is the expansion of the ribs and abdomen. When most people breathe, they use their chest to breathe very shallowly. This shallow breathing means that the muscles in your core are not being used, which makes your muscles weaker and weaker, increasing your chances of developing back pain. If your muscles are not stimulated, they will become weaker and weaker.

In step 1, you will practice inflating and contracting your rib cage and abdomen as much as possible. The important thing to keep in mind is that you don't strain the muscles around your shoulders and trapezius. Also, when you exhale, you need to leave about 10% of the air in your lungs so that your breathing can continue naturally. When you exhale all the breaths, the next breath is very uncomfortable and difficult.

It's easy to think of it as having a balloon in our stomach and inflating and shrinking this balloon as much as possible. Place one hand at your side and the other on your stomach like this. And as you inhale, feel your ribs and abdomen expand, and breathe in air. If this goes well, you can feel your back swelling as well. If you do it lying down, you'll be better off. If this goes well, we'll move on to phase two. Step 2 is to inhale and exhale the same way as step 1, but as you exhale, you squeeze your stomach a little.]

2 steps of breathing to strengthen the muscles in your core

Expand your rib cage and abdomen as much as possible, and then exhale and exhale to put 20~30% force on your abdominal muscles to contract the muscles in your abdominal muscles. Now it's time to put some pressure on your stomach here. As you exhale, exhale as if you were concave your belly and sending your belly button toward your back. If you feel a little firm when you touch your sides or stomach, you're doing well.

The thing to keep in mind in step 2 is that if you apply maximum force to your stomach when you exhale, you will only be straining the outer muscles of your abdomen. If you do this, you should not do it because it will not stimulate the inner muscles, and if you say 100% when you put maximum force on your stomach, you should only apply about 20~30% of it and feel the inner muscles contract.

Then, exhale while making your stomach concave, with just enough pressure to feel a slight firmness in your sides and stomach. Start with the first step, inflating the rib cage and inflating the abdomen, and once you get the hang of it, move on to step 2.

3 steps to strengthen your core muscles

Step 3 is to hold your breath with your stomach briefly contracted throughout the inhale and exhale. So keep breathing with your stomach contracted slightly by about 20 percent. The important thing is that if you put a certain amount of pressure on your stomach, the abdominal pressure will increase, which will support your lower back and protect your lower back, which is the key to this breathing exercise.

For those who have back discomfort, this breathing technique is really helpful. When it comes to back health, changing your bad life is a fundamental treatment than exercise. It is important to maintain abdominal pressure to protect the lower back, and it is necessary to strengthen the core muscles to maintain sufficient abdominal pressure. That's why you can use this breathing exercise to strengthen the muscles in your abdomen and protect your lower back.

If you are suffering from a herniated disc or stenosis, please practice the breathing exercises that I have told you about today and practice them at any time in your daily life so that you can protect your back through these breathing techniques.