| p>Low back pain is debilitating, distracts our attention | | | | muscles keep our spine erect and overuse occurs |
| and is the number two cause (behind the common | | | | from sitting improperly, or strain from lifting from the |
| cold) for missed work. Ninety percent of us will | | | | back. Pain appears in the low back or higher, radiating |
| experience low back pain at some point in our life. | | | | close to the spine. |
| Simply put, our low back, or lumbar spine, transmits the | | | | Internal Obliques & External Obliques |
| weight of our upper body onto our lower body, and | | | | Oblique muscles run diagonally across the abdomen. |
| needs support from surrounding musculature. | | | | They are the key stabilizers of our core integrity on |
| Imbalance in the musculature of the low back can | | | | the front and hence do much to support the lumbar |
| manifest in a variety of forms, from strained muscles | | | | spine integrity. Think of these as the struts on your car, |
| to slipped discs, and every time we move, we activate | | | | if you are driving straight, they do little, but as you start |
| the pain. By understanding the muscles of the low | | | | turning and shifting, they play a huge role. If these are |
| back and core we can better understand what is | | | | not activating during physical activities we run the risk |
| causing our low back pain. | | | | of damaging our lumbar spine, or compensating with |
| What Causes Low Back Pain: Understanding the | | | | other muscles. |
| Muscles of the Lumbar Spine | | | | Rectus Abdominis and Transverse Abdominis |
| Ilio-Psoas | | | | These are typically what we think of as our core |
| Connects the upper part of the thighbone and inner | | | | muscles. The rectus lies on a sheet of connective |
| pelvis to the lumbar spine. The principle movement of | | | | tissue that connects them to the obliques on the sides, |
| the psoas is bringing the thigh toward the chest (hip | | | | the pelvis below, and the ribs above. The transverse |
| flexion). The psoas attaches not just to the bones of | | | | abdominis run beneath the obliques and provide |
| the spine, but also to the discs between, and exacts a | | | | secondary stabilization. |
| huge force onto the discs when tight. Pain caused by | | | | The connection between all these muscles acts like |
| the psoas often shows up as lower back pain, | | | | saran wrap to stabilize the core, and provide for |
| because other muscles have to overwork to support | | | | proper spacing in the low back. Without their proper |
| the spine. The force of a tight psoas putting pressure | | | | participation, low back pain can quickly occur. |
| on the lumbar spine can cause a pinched disc. | | | | The Road to Recovery: Building Strength and Relieving |
| Quadratus Lumborum (QL) | | | | Tension |
| Connects the back rim of the pelvis to the spine and | | | | Low back pain sourced in muscle strain can be |
| lowest ribs. The QL aids in arching the back (spinal | | | | treated quickly and efficiently with rest and stretching. |
| extension), and bending sideways (lateral flexion). | | | | For more long-term, chronic pain, when disc injury may |
| When we "throw our back out" it is commonly the QL | | | | be the cause, consult a doctor before beginning any |
| that is strained, and hence the difficulty with standing | | | | routine. Developing strength through all parts of the |
| up (spinal extension). The QL and Psoas oppose each | | | | core by doing daily yoga exercises to strengthen and |
| other. A tight psoas makes the QL work that much | | | | stretch the key core muscles is necessary. A simple |
| harder. | | | | daily routine of lower back pain exercises will build |
| Erector Spinae | | | | strength and stretch by taking the lumbar spine through |
| The Erector Spinae run the length of the spine from | | | | its full range of motion and activating the key muscles |
| the sacrum all the way up to the upper back. These | | | | that stabilize it along the way. |