What is the TA muscle?
As Physical Therapists’, we often refer to the “core” during treatment. This term can seem arbitrary and unclear, so what really is in “the core”? Well, when it comes to pelvic health/ pre and postpartum care PT, one of the most important muscles that we often target with therapeutic exercise is called the transverse abdominis, also known as the “TA”. Below, you will discover more in-depth information about the transverse abdominis including, what it is, why it is important and how to activate it!
What is it?
The transverse abdominis, often referred to in our clinic as the “TA” is a muscle that acts like a corset around your abdominal cavity. It originates along several surfaces along the pelvis, surrounding ligaments and fascial tissue connected to the mid/lower back. The muscle spans along the lateral/front of the abdomen and attaches to the linea alba, starting at the lower part of the sternum and working all the way down the midline of the abdomen along the pubic bone where the left/right sides of the pelvis meet. The linea alba is the connective tissue where your “six pack abs” (the rectus abdominis) come together. This muscle is particularly important in the recovery of diastasis recti.
The TA plays a role in providing support during coughing, bowel movements as well as periods of time when we find ourselves forcefully exhaling such as high intensity exercise.
Why is the TA important to us?
The TA is a key muscle in providing structure, support and stability during functional movements from lifting babies off the floor, to folding the laundry or going for a run. In studies of individuals with and without low back pain, it is shown that the transverse abdominis “fires” prior to limb movement in subjects without pain and is either delayed in activation or absent in subjects with back pain. This is important to keep in mind for safe movement throughout lifetime.
During pregnancy, this muscle is stretched out and as a result it becomes difficult to properly activate. Without proper activation, we are left feeling unstable and weak with tasks that may have seemed simple prior to pregnancy! There is also the potential to compensate for this weakness by using other muscle groups which can lead to more muscle imbalance. Weakness and poor coordination with the TA can also lead to other symptoms such as vaginal heaviness/pressure, urinary leakage, and even low back pain.
How do I activate my TA?
Training the TA can be work! Some of the exercises look easy, peasy, but if you’re doing them correctly they don’t generally feel all that “easy”. Unless you’ve been one of our superstar patients in the past and you’ve had some practice ;)
1.Basic activation:
Laying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Gently pull your belly button in as if you are zipping up a pair of tight pants or drawing inwards towards your spine. You can feel the TA contraction if you place your index fingers on the prominent part of your front hip bones and come one inch inward and one inch downward.
Other cues include: drawing your hip bones closer together or drawing your lower rib cages towards each other as if connecting a line from side to side along the front of your abdomen. You should feel the muscle gently create tension under your fingers. The contraction should be relatively gentle and not enough to push your finger tip out of the tissue.
Hold for 1-2 seconds to start. Relax and repeat until you experience mild fatigue.
You should not feel your butt muscles squeezing and you should avoid thinking of flexing your trunk forwards.
2. TA with heel slide:
Laying flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Place your fingers on your hip bones again and come one inch inward and one inch downward to feel for your TA contraction. Contract the TA: Gently draw belly button inwards towards your spine. While maintaining this contraction, slowly slide one heel downward and back up to starting position. Depending on your ability to maintain a stable position at the pelvis you can slide your heel through a smaller range (less stable) or a larger range (more stable). Keep your pelvis level, you should not feel your hips rocking from side to side or up/down.
3. TA with march:
Laying flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Place your fingers on your hip bones again and come one inch inward and one inch downward to feel for your TA contraction. Contract the TA: Draw belly button inwards towards your spine. While maintaining this contraction, slowly lift one foot off of the floor/mat while keeping pelvis level. Repeat with the other leg, maintaining the pelvic floor contraction the whole time. Relax after completing the lift on both sides. If you are unable to maintain the contraction between movements on the right and left, take a break and breath/relax before engaging TA to repeat the lift in the other leg.
4. Bird dog:
Position yourself on hands and knees on the floor. Perform a TA contraction as listed in Exercise #1 by pulling belly button inwards towards spine. Maintain this position while slowly extending one leg back behind you straightening out your knee, driving heel towards the wall behind you and tightening your gluts on that same side. Try to keep low back/pelvis stable throughout the leg movement on the one side. Keep hips from rocking. This can eventually be progressed by lifting the opposite arm at the same time as the leg lift.
Overall, TA activation is important for everyone! Even if you’ve never been pregnant, chances are you could still use some training of this muscle for support of the lumbopelvic region, to assist with pressure management in the abdominal cavity in addition to providing support for functional activities.
I hope that you enjoy these exercises and feel empowered learning more above exactly what is going on in your very own body!
Now the mystery is over and you’ve familiarized yourself with the TA!
