Empowering Movement: Mastering the Quadratus Lumborum
As Pilates Instructors we all know about the importance of the core, both in Pilates exercises and in the way we move outside the Pilates studio. Having a strong, flexible, and functional core is crucial to healthy movement patterns and maintaining our physical function as we move through our lives. When we look to the core, we often focus our attention on the Rectus Abdominis, Transversus Abdominis, Obliques, or the Pelvic Floor (and rightly so, these are important muscles!), but one often-forgotten muscle of the core is the Quadratus Lumborum (QL). Here we endeavour to correct this unfortunate tendency. We will explore the significance of the QL in the context of Pilates, its anatomy, function, the causes of QL pain and practical ways to release, stretch and strengthen this essential muscle to enhance our clients' Pilates experience.
Anatomy and Function
There are two QL muscles, each located on either side of the lumbar spine. The QL attaches the pelvis to the lumbar spine and lowest rib and performs a range of functions. Its three main actions include:
• Lateral flexion of the lumber spine (side bending)
• Extension of the lumbar spine (arching the back)
• Elevation of the pelvis (hip hiking)
In addition to these joint actions, the QL also plays a role in breathing (due to its insertion into the 12th rib) and stabilising the lumbar spine. The QL muscles are also responsible for keeping the ribs, spine, and pelvis stable when the arms and legs are moving (e.g., in exercises such as Pointer or Dead Bugs) and work eccentrically during spinal flexion and rotation.
Almost every movement of the spine, ribs, pelvis, arms or legs, requires the QL to function effectively. During Pilates exercises, the QL works synergistically with the other core muscles to provide stability and control, ensuring smooth, efficient, and injury-free movement. All of these sound great, but what happens when the QL muscles don’t function quite as they should?
Pain
Dysfunction of the QL muscle can be responsible for lower back pain, usually as a result of tightness or weakness in one (or both) of the QL muscles. Lower back pain can be tricky to treat. People can be very sensitive about their back pain. If you have a client with lower back pain, take the time to do a full postural and movement assessment and assess whether it is QL-related or whether something else might be the cause. Perhaps the QL pain is a result of an imbalance somewhere else? Whatever conclusions you come to and the course of action you pursue, take it slowly and gently.
To address muscle tightness, we typically look at two main methods, myofascial release (or trigger point release) and stretching. In conjunction with addressing tightness, it is important to strengthen the QL muscles to see improvement in QL pain long term. However, keep in mind that muscles and ligaments that are inflamed can respond poorly to being stretched or overworked. The QL also sits quite deep and the more superficial latissimus dorsi and iliocostalis lumborum can make it harder to isolate. Keeping these things in mind, let’s take a look at the ways we can relieve excessive tension in the QL.
Release
If we are looking at releasing the QL, a pair of small balls is the way to go. About the size of a tennis ball would be perfect. There are many brands of massage balls available. Ideally, we are looking for something firm, but not hard, and you might like to have a range of firmness options on hand in your studio to suit different clients. We like to use the black Yamuna Balls.
Take your chosen balls and lie down on the mat, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place each ball on either side of your lower spine, midway between the top of your pelvis and your lowest rib. Make sure the pressure of the balls isn’t sitting directly on the lowest rib or your spine. From here, tuck the pelvis into a posterior tilt (so that your tailbone lifts off the mat and the lower back is pressing down into the balls), then tip the pelvis away into an anterior tilt (tailbone drops back down towards the mat). Gently rock the pelvis back and forth.
Next, we are going to hike the hip to each side. Bring the pelvis into a neutral position by hovering the tailbone off the mat. While keeping the pelvis parallel to the floor. Hike the right hip up towards the lower ribs on the right side, at the same time reaching the left hip down towards the feet. Gently switch side to side, elongating one side while contracting the other.
Stretch
Some of the best QL stretches are fairly straightforward. A standing (or sitting) side stretch or mermaid stretch are great options. To try to isolate the muscle it can be helpful to get clients up against the wall. In the case of side bends, keeping both shoulders on the wall helps ensure pure lateral spinal flexion. You may even like to use props such as the Oove (pictured), the Wunda Chair, or Spine Corrector. If you want to, you can then add a rotation, bringing the top arm and shoulder away from the wall, and reaching through the fingertips. Placing the lumbar spine into flexion can also be a great way to stretch the QL, such as in a standard yoga Child’s Pose or Cat/Cow.
Strengthen
Once the tightness in the QL has been addressed it can be helpful for long-term relief of lower back pain to work on effective engagement and strengthening of the QL. Pilates exercises that involve lateral spinal flexion will engage the QL and there are many exercises to choose from. Depending on the client, you may choose to start with something simple, for example using the basic standing side stretch mentioned earlier, but this time encouraging the client to actively contract the concave side (rather than focusing on stretching the convex side). More challenging exercises to strengthen the QL include side lying Double Leg Lifts and Side Bend on the mat, Reformer or Wunda Chair. Sideways over the box on the Reformer is another great exercise, an exercise so often focused on the stretching aspect rather than the synergy between strengthening and stretching.
Where to from here?
A deeper understanding of the QL can bring a newfound appreciation for the important role it plays in healthy movement. As we encourage our clients to cultivate strength and flexibility, we must remember that addressing QL-related issues requires a balanced approach of patience and mindfulness. By integrating myofascial release and somatic techniques, purposeful stretching, and targeted strengthening exercises into our Pilates programming we empower our clients to not only alleviate pain, but improve functionality and quality of movement, allowing them to go out into the world and move freely. So, let us embrace the power of the Quadratus Lumborum and lead our clients to discover the depth and beauty of Pilates from the inside out!
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Tracey Nicholson is the Director of Tensegrity Training an RTO that offers several different levels of training to help you at any stage of your career in Pilates.
Dr Ruth Young is a Pilates instructor, student mentor, and assessor for Tensegrity Training. In her spare time, Ruth manages her own business providing Pilates classes as part of employee wellness programs.
Ruth obtained her Phd in Cognitive Psychology looking at how we process facial expressions (happy/sad/angry/etc). She studied Pilates because she loved the experience in her own body and hoped it would allow her to work flexibly while still home full time with her young children.