The Deepest Way to Reach your Low Back Pain
Is...wait for it...through your waistline. Grab your roller and let's try it together today.
So in case you didn’t know, there is this muscle called the QL. We call it that because it’d be insane to say Quadratus Lumborum each time it’s referenced. This muscle is a major source of tension and bad patterning in the low back. It runs from the hip crest onto the low spine (pictured) and its main function is to contract the space between your ribs and hips, i.e. side-bending. It’s also a HUGE stabilizing force of the low spine. It’s job is pretty important. Not to get too into the weeds, but look at this image of it for a sec…
Notice how intertwined it is with the infamous Psoas muscle…a hip flexor, a core muscle AND a low back muscle. The connection between the QL and Psoas makes it, by association, a deep core muscle as well.
Also, see how far out to the side the QL goes? It attaches way out onto the hip crest, just posterior to your waistline. It’s also deep to any other back muscles, so to access it you’ve got to enter in through the waistline.
Do it with me. The light is low , but the mood is right.
What’s the value of this move?
Doing a deep release of the low back can liberate your spine from stiffness and pain. It can also signal to your brain that you’re trying to change long-held patterns that, if gone unacknowledged, can keep pressure on the spinals discs and eventually cause enough dehydration in the discs to degenerate them.
So…let’s not do that? If you’ve already got bulging or herniated discs, this move is still safe to do as long as you’re not in an acute flare-up.
Labor Day Sale!
Through this weekend get 10% off the Foam Rolling for Hip and Lower Back Relief Masterclass
If this QL move made you realize that you’ve got a ways to go to liberate your back, I have a masterclass for that! It’s 75 minutes and all you need is a roller and two tennis balls. Use the code SUBSTACK at checkout to get 10% off the masterclass. This code expires on Monday at midnight so don’t sleep on it!
That’s it from me, my loves. Happy long weekend to you! I hope you can celebrate the fruits of your labor this weekend.
Love,
Maggie