does a weak core cause back pain?
Spoiler: probably not. And the real answer is a lot more interesting.
There's a widespread misconception that low back pain is caused by weak glutes and a weak core. It's one of the most common things I hear from clients, so I wanted to talk about it in more detail.
The short version
Pain is complex. Correlation doesn't equal causation. And because why would something as delightful as pain be simple? 🙃
Here's what I mean:
Plenty of people who are strong experience back pain, and plenty of people who aren't "strong" are completely pain-free
People with weak glutes and core can go their whole life without a single episode of back pain
People with strong glutes and core can still experience back pain, whether that's acute, recurring, or chronic
If weakness caused back pain, that pattern would be consistent. It isn't. So something else is going on.
Why does this myth stick around?
It's an easy story to tell. Someone gets back pain, someone tests their glutes or core, the muscles come back "weak", and a straight line gets drawn between the two. It feels logical. It gives you something concrete to fix.
But a weak muscle test result and a painful back showing up in the same person doesn't mean one caused the other. It just means they're both there. That's the correlation and causation trap, and it's an easy one to fall into when you're in pain and just want an answer.
Strength is just one piece of a much bigger picture
Don't get me wrong, getting stronger is genuinely amazing, and it can absolutely be an important part of the rehab process. But it's not the sole cause of pain, and it's not the sole solution either.
Building strength can improve your body's ability to tolerate, transfer, and produce load. It can improve movement quality and, importantly, the confidence with which you move or perform an exercise. That confidence piece matters more than people realise. When you trust your body to handle a movement, you move differently, and that shift alone can change how a painful movement feels.
So what can actually drive back pain?
Pain is influenced by a whole range of factors, including:
Sleep
Stress
Load, and how it's built up or changed over time
Movement history
Beliefs about your body and what it can handle
A good assessment looks at all of it, not just what a strength test shows on the day.
What does this mean for you?
If you've been told your back pain is "just" a weakness issue, it might be time to get a fuller picture (and a more up to date physio, sorry). Strength work might still be part of your plan. It's just not the whole story, and it shouldn't be the only thing you're offered.
That's exactly what you centred care is about: looking at everything that's actually driving your pain, not reaching for the simplest explanation and stopping there.
Want to understand what's actually driving your pain? Book in here and we’ll work through it together
This article is for general education only and isn't a substitute for personalised medical advice.