Today I want to talk, from my own experience, about a fairly common problem in the human body called lower cross syndrome. This syndrome involves a dysfunctional distribution of muscle tone specifically in the pelvic area. Imagine looking at a person from the side and drawing two crossing lines over their pelvic area at a 45-degree angle. One line of this cross includes the muscles that are shortened and tight, and the other line includes the muscles that get too little load and are weak. As a result, the pelvis tilts forward and posture worsens.
Tight muscles: iliopsoas, rectus femoris, tensor fasciae latae, hip adductors, quadratus lumborum, muscles around the spine in the lower back
Weak muscles: rectus abdominis, external obliques, internal obliques, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, gluteus maximus (because of this weakness, the hamstring muscles take on more load, which is why they become tight)
This kind of situation is encouraged by the sedentary lifestyle that has become all too common in today’s society, along with using the body in too one-sided a way. Wearing high heels often can also be a contributing factor. Does this body type sound familiar?
Pain doesn’t always accompany this syndrome, but if the situation has persisted long enough, the result is usually still lower back pain. Pain can also develop at the front, in the hip flexors, or in the groin area near the hip joint. If left unaddressed, this problem can snowball into further issues in the spine (pain in the lower back when arching it) and in the upper back area (upper cross syndrome).
So what should you do if you recognized yourself here? The solution is actually completely doable on your own – you just need a bit of knowledge. Of course, as a bonus, you could also add massage.
Since the gluteus maximus doesn’t activate much when moving on flat ground, the first simple thing I’d suggest is moving on, for example, hiking trails in nature, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. In summer, running barefoot in sand is a great option (moving barefoot in general has plenty of benefits too).
The main idea is that you should stretch the muscles in the tight muscle group and train the muscles in the weak muscle group. In short, you’d want to trim up your abs and glutes, and relax/stretch your hip muscles and lower back muscles.
Here’s a sample video you can use to run through a small routine at home:
There are a lot of different exercises out there though, so you’ll need to find the ones that suit you best. If you’re not sure and can’t find anything useful online, you can always visit a physiotherapist too.
