Our body is designed to take care of itself. Our brain takes the work out of the positions we put our body in regularly, so we don’t have to think about where our fingers go to hold a pen or what happens in our hips to sit in a chair.
I measure people while they’re standing and also when they lay down on my table, so I can get a better read on what their body needs to move back into alignment. I often have to move people’s legs one way and guid my client to move their shoulders another way so that everything stacks up: ankles, hips, shoulders head.
Once we line everything up so I can measure their alignment, I ask if they feel like a banana. I do this to get their brain involved in the patterns their body is holding. If I develop a compensation pattern in my right leg because of an injury in my left knee, my brain will see the compensation pattern is straight so I don’t have to think about how to walk. When we bring the body back into alignment, it looks foreign to the brain because it’s gotten used to something else.
One muscle that gets engaged more on one side and tends to pull us out of alignment is QL (quadratus lumborum). This muscle attaches from the bottom of the ribs to the top of the pelvis in the low back. It lifts the hip when we walk so we’re using it all the time. It also engages when we lean to one side or rotate our torso. Think sitting at your desk and looking at a monitor that’s not directly in front of you, leaning on the armrest of the couch, standing with more weight on one leg, and also carrying anything heavy on one hip.
Most of us tend to do what feels easier for us and put the challenging stuff off till later. Sometimes it’s a hard yes to strengthen muscles that are weak or add stretching to our routine when we’re tight and it hurts. If you have tightness in your low back when you fold forward to pick something up or notice tension after you’ve been standing for a while, I’m sharing 2 releases with you in mind.
The thing to pay attention to is if one side feels different than the other. If both sides benefit from the release, do both. If one side is significantly more intense or restricted than the other, you can just work on that side. Since quadratus lumborum is a deep muscle, you might need to wait a day or two before you release it again. Using the breath through the belly to relax the nervous system will help you get more access at the pace that’s right for your body which will ultimately be less painful. Click below to watch the video and love on your low back that does a lot to support the body you're in.