M. quadratus lumborum
'The vice in the lower back'
A very powerful muscle which, functionally, is classified as part of the abdominal muscles. It runs from the right and left iliac crests to the transverse processes of the upper lumbar vertebrae and to the 12th rib.
Excessive muscle tone places constant pressure on the intervertebral discs and facet joints.
As an accessory respiratory muscle involved in exhalation, it can, when functioning abnormally, impair physiological inhalation. This can have a negative impact on the regenerative and autonomic balance of the body’s systems.
It is not uncommon for it to be the primary cause of burning, generalised pain in the lower back, which is frequently misinterpreted as a herniated disc in the initial differential diagnosis.
A hypertonic quadratus lumborum almost always indicates deficits in the rest of the abdominal musculature and also in the pelvic floor.
“Away from the symptom – towards the system”
