Transversus abdominis

Looks like

The deepest flat muscle of the belly wall, its fibres running round the waist like a corset.

What it does

Pulls the belly in and stiffens the trunk before the limbs move, protecting the spine.

Keeping it well

Gentle bracing exercises after pregnancy or back pain retrain it; it is weakened by surgical cuts that divide its nerves.

Related conditions

• Botulism
• Fibromyalgia
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Heat exhaustion & heatstroke
• Hernia (inguinal, hiatal, umbilical)
• Malnutrition & refeeding syndrome
• Muscular dystrophy
• Peritonitis
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Sarcoma
• Sarcopenia
• Tetanus