Is that your anus twitching as you run??? It may be useful!

Paul Hodges says so!
All those magnificent marathon runners in London recently will have involuntarily been contracting their anal sphincters with every step of the way. This coordinat functions requires the same muscles that are used to maintain IAP and spinal stability.

In fact Dr Hodges spoke extensively on the subject of optimal neuromotor control of the fascial system as a requirement for lumbopelvic control, with particular and unusual reference to the key elements of respiratory and the wider pelvic floor. He was a key speaker at the CONNECT soft tissues in sports medicine conference held a fortnight ago in Ulm, in Bavaria, Germany.

This depends essentially along the lines of the interaction of muscles with direct and indirect attachments, as the intra-abdominal pressure is critical to the mechanism of hoop tension (with respect to laPlace's law).

He was speaking to the points that Intra-abdominal pressure(IAP) augments intersegmental control,  and the use of preactivation and anticipatory feedforward mechanisms will provide the nervous system not only for control but for support of the lumbar spine & pelvis. The myofascial system operates to stabilise the spine in space, yet simultaneously allow dynamic movement, and the deepest portion is required for deep segmental control: too much or too little was deemed 'not useful'.

This coordination of functions requires the same muscles that are used in continence & breathing to maintain IAP and spinal stability are the same.

In walking or running gait, that much-debated muscle Transversus Abdominis is in a state of tonic activation, and never switches off.

In future blogs we will look at common running challenges prior to the Edinburgh Marathon, and other sporting performances.

And now you know a little bit more about how your insudes are all connected, and how optimum performance depends upon that connectivity!