Muscle Imbalances lead to one culprit

If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you might be very aware of a theme.. 

The back is not really something I consider having in-depth knowledge on, however, each time I write to address an issue all arrows lead there. And so, I take note and bring key points to our awareness. 

1. Muscle imbalances → Posture

2. Poor posture → Poor joints 

3. Noncongruent = Friction

4. Wear and tear → Degeneration 

5. Body signals → Communication = pain

The lower back muscles work with muscles that wrap around the body including core muscles. When the core is continually not activated it becomes weak. In turn, protective muscles tighten causing long term postural changes. Reciprocal inhibition is when the muscles turn off and disconnect to allow for the body to protect itself. The muscles that are inhibited most often are the abdominals, spinal stabilizers, glutes and hip extensors. If you have pain in your body, more often than not, a physical therapist will prescribe strengthening exercises for any or all or the muscles aforementioned.

Daily life 

Take a look at your daily life from a bird's eye view. When are you standing, walking, sitting, lying, doing chores, or working out? Most of us are either sitting or running around for hours on end to then feel exhausted that our only wish is to lay down. Yes, it feels so good to take a break! Perhaps we can stop and adjust our mindset so that we can take a break from sitting and go for a walk for example, or take a break from moving and enjoy a brief yoga session. And maybe the next time you want to be on your phone for a period of time, try foam rolling simultaneously. For me, it’s the closest you can get to laying down, while providing your body a full myofascial release! 

These are only a few tips on how to immediately change our patterns and recover from long term postural imbalances. In addition to lifestyle changes we can seek professional help of course. If you would like referrals on who to see for physical therapy, personal training, massage, cupping, or yoga classes scroll to my partners section. 

In addition, check out this article on testing your flexibility. Since 1979, Claudio Gil Soares de Araújo has used a test he developed on thousands of his clients, demonstrating their improvements with a scoring system for 20 different assessments. And if you are not satisfied with learning about it, you can pick up a copy of his book here. I share this information because I am interested and supportive of his work. I think we can build a community that allows for change to happen when more and more knowledge is shared openly.