What is Abdominal Core Health?

"Abdominal core health encompasses the stability and function of the abdominal core and associated quality of life. Interventions to maintain core health include surgical and non-surgical therapies that integrate the functional relatedness of the abdominal core components.” - Benjamin Poulose MD FACS Surg Clin North Am 2023 Oct;103(5):827-834. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2023.04.012.

Ben is an innovator, friend, mentor, and colleague. He is the chief of general surgery and director of the Center for Abdominal Core Health at Ohio State, and the co-founder of the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative. Ben first described this concept and

Why is it important?

Surgeons have been fixing hernias for over 100 years. As humanity amasses a wealth of knowledge, understanding the core has become increasingly important in identifying the right treatments for patients with hernia, groin, and core muscle injuries.  Not everyone needs an operation, and prehabilitation and rehabilitation are helping patients get their lives back. A more holistic approach is required to get people back to doing the things they want to do and improve overall quality of life.

Who treats Abdominal Core Health?

  • physical therapists
  • pilates instructors
  • strength coaches
  • personal trainers
  • hernia surgeons
  • orthopedic surgeons
  • physician assistants
  • nurse practitioners

At Boston Hernia, our providers are experts in diagnosing hernias core muscle injuries and identifying the best treatment options for particular patients.  We offer surgery to about 50% of the patients that visit us. Many patients are offered nonoperative treatments, including referrals for physical therapy or referrals to strength coaches for a more holistic approach to getting better.

Boston Hernia is leading the way in doing what’s best for patients. Sometimes, that means surgery, sometimes, it means rehab; and sometimes it means sending our patients to different specialists to help with diagnosis or treatment.

Featured Partner - Caroline Johnson - Core Health Expert

We are delighted to introduce Caroline Johnson.  She is offering her Strong Core, Strong Body program right in our Wellesley office. 

Caroline studied exercise science and psychology at UMass-Amherst. After graduating, Caroline, a life-long equestrian, rode professionally for a time.

After the birth of her first daughter, Caroline stepped back from the professional horse world, got her certification in Power Pilates, and taught Pilates and pre-and post-natal fitness classes. Over the course of her subsequent two pregnancies, she developed an umbilical hernia and a large 8-finger diastasis. Wanting to avoid having surgery to correct the abdominal separation, .Caroline looked into non-surgical methods to rehabilitate diastasis recti. After closing her diastasis and seeing first-hand the dramatic results that can be achieved from following a prescribed rehabilitation program, Caroline was inspired to start her own practice in order to provide other women and men with the help and resources to close their diastases and rebuild their cores.

Since then, Caroline has earned numerous other certifications in order to provide her clients with the most well-rounded and comprehensive programs possible. She holds certifications in functional pelvic floor therapy, scar release therapy, the Tupler Technique, and is a Tummy Team endorsed practitioner. She has created several effective programs to help her clients close abdominal separations, resolve pelvic floor dysfunction, and strengthen their cores. Most recently, she launched two new revolutionary new programs. The first, "Rebuild Your Body", focuses on the postpartum population and on strengthening the body as a whole as well as healing abdominal separation and pelvic floor dysfunction. The second, Strong Core Strong Body, is designed for people needing prehab/rehab work for abdominal surgeries and to correct muscular imbalances in the body. 

When Caroline is not in the office, she enjoys traveling, training for marathons and keeping up with her 3 active daughters, husband, and Boston Terrier, Mookie. Depending on the season, you can find them hiking, skiing, camping, or catching waves at local beaches.