Lower cross syndrome
Weak and tight muscles in your lower body
In today’s society, using our smartphones, working on our laptops and watching series on the couch are daily routine. This results in bad habits of slouching, bending our necks and poor posture that over time can cause muscle imbalances throughout the body. We spend hours hunched over in an office chair, slumped on the couch and looking down at our smartphone. You can read more about the bad effects that sitting too long have on your body here. The importance of a good posture has been stressed by many physical therapists and chiropractors because of the effects it has on our health. So what effects does it have? One of the negative outcomes of this bad posture is the so called Lower Cross Syndrome.
Lower Cross Syndrome is a term given to weak and tight muscles in our lower body.
Causes of Lower cross Syndrome
- Bad posture
- Sitting too long
- Lack of physical activity
- Imbalances while training or poor technique when exercising
What happens when you have Lower Cross Syndrome
When you’re suffering from this syndrome, this means your abdominal muscles and glutes are weakened and on the other hand, your thoracolumbar and hip flexors/psoas are tight. Tight means a constant stress pulling of the muscle with decreased flexibility and movement. The opposite muscles – as a result – are underused, resulting in weakness.
Because your abdominals and glutes muscles are weak, your hamstrings and lower back have to constantly overcompensate in normal daily activities. The tighter they get, the weaker the abdominals and glutes become. This can increase your chances of developing back pain, knee pain and other musculoskeletal disorders.
How to reduce the symptoms
The best way to help reduce the symptoms of lower cross syndrome, is to get adjusted by your chiropractor and – to prevent further complications – start doing exercises to strengthen your glutes and abdominals.
Good exercises are:
- Gluteal Bridge
- Planks
- Stretching hamstrings and back
- Stretching hip flexors
We at One Chiropractic Care are happy to help you reduce your back complaints and help you resolve your lower cross syndrome. You can make an appointment to get a chiropractic adjustment here.
References
- Esakowitz,A. F. (2014). The effect of muscle energy technique versus chiropracic adjustive therapy in treatment of chonic lower back pain withlower cross sydrome (Doctoral dissertation), University of Johannesburg).
- Lower Crossed Syndrome. (2020, April 14). Physiopedia,. Retrieved April 14, 2020 from https://www.physio-pedia.com7index.php?title=Lower_Crossed_Syndrome&oldid=235696.
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