Maggie | Release Technique

Waistline + Lower Back Roll

Added 2023-09-01 20:47:37 +0000 UTC

Ready?

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…

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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.

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.