Imbalance

Q: I read that some low back pain is a result of muscle imbalances.
What are the most common imbalances, why does it happen and what can be done about them?

A: The most common dysfunction is a forward tipped pelvis. This is when the front of one or both sides of the pelvis are pulled down.

There are several things that contribute to the creation of this problem. The most common is sitting. We all do it, some more than others. It seems that as technology has advanced and replaced manual labor, more and more people are sitting at their jobs all day long. The more you sit the more likely you are to develop the muscle imbalance in the hips and thighs that creates the forward tipped pelvis dysfunction. This position can lead to low back pain.

The imbalance is created by weak hamstrings, glutes, lower back, lower abdomen, tight hip flexors, quadriceps and lower back.

Very tight muscles or those pulled too much should be stretched daily. And the muscles that are too weak or not pulling enough should be strengthened.

So what to do? Stretch the, hip flexors and quadriceps and
strengthen the lower abdomen, glutes and hamstrings.