Many people spend most of their time sitting behind a computer for a prolonged amount of time. While this is not indicative of everyone’s situation, it is safe to say that most people will identify with this statement. Sitting for an extended period of time can lead to low back pain, which is often caused by the quadratus lumborum.

Today, we are going to go over the many possible reasons why you might suffer from low back pain with an emphasis on the quadratus lumborum.

What Is the Quadratus Lumborum (QL)?

The QL is a deep muscle located on both sides of your low back that attaches the pelvis to each of your five lowest vertebrae (and also to your last rib). The muscle acts like a set of guide wires on a telephone pole preventing you from falling over.

The QL muscle helps stabilize, arch, rotate, and side bend your spine. When it gets tight, it can actually compress your spine.

Quadratus Lumborum Pain

How do you know that your quadratus lumborum is the cause of your low back pain? First, ask yourself what kind of pain you are having and determine when it bothers you the most. Do you feel a sharp, dull, achy, stabbing, zinging, or throbbing pain? Does it hurt you while you are standing, sitting, sleeping, running, surfing, or hang gliding?

In a majority of QL cases that we have seen, the QL muscle will often have an intense, dull, achy pain when sitting or standing for prolonged periods of time. With that being said, a large portion of society is probably complaining about this type of back pain because we are constantly sitting.

If your pain is similar to what we just described, you should shoot us an email. Everyone could benefit from learning how to stretch their QL and/or letting a chiropractor help.

How to Fix a Tight QL

Stretching and exercising a tight QL is one way to ensure it is working properly. Some exercises that help include squats, deadlifts, core bracing techniques and lunges. You can also get a chiropractic adjustment. Resetting and releasing the pressure in a joint neurologically removes and relaxes any tension in the muscles that attach to those joints.

Schedule a chiropractic adjustment with us by filling out this online form today.