Tight Quadratus Lumborum

[anneros]

Hello,
Just wondered if you could help me. I am a 40 year old girl and my main sport is running. I have had lots of physio (seen lots of different physios + chiros and osteopaths) to treat tight hip muscles/lower back/hamstring on my right side interspersed with a sore achilles on the left. My last physio, the most helpful, said my posture was poor- might right shoulder always down with a tight QL and weak obliques on the opposite side + weak glutes R side + weak VMO. I have done lots and lots of exercises, planking etc and found it often made the problem worse as I was using my "cheating" muscles.

I am not seeing anyone at the moment but I have improved maybe due to a few things- 1) I now wear minimalist footwear and have been running barefoot (sorry, don't groan!). I find this really helped with my postural awareness-I can tell when I am bent over to the right and try to adjust .2) Frequent squatt exercises (as advised by vivobarefoot)- deep squatt and more traditional squatt seems to me feel rebalanced. 3) I have started pilates again with a really good instructor and am more aware of what my core is doing.

So, I am now managing to run a bit and feel much better. I don't get the really tight ITB and lower back pain I used to BUT- I still get a tight QL on the right and I'm aware that my hip flexors also get tight on the right + my glutes aren't working properly. Any suggestions as to how I can take a step further? I have recently started doing more exercises again- slow, careful lunge exercises to strengthen my R VMO and glute med + L QL and most recently a bit of side planking from the knee and front plank. The really good thing is the exercises aren't making me worse now. I also try to trigger point and stretch QL- any tips on how best to do this?

Thanks so much for your help. I would go and see a physio again but I think they have run out of ideas!!

Anneee

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[archie]

You possibly have a very slight leg length discrepency caused by a slight malalignment in the spine. I would get a Physio to do some soft tissue releases to the periformis muscle with acupuncture to the trigger point and piriformis stretches. I'd also get a good 'hands on' Physio who'll stretch out your whole spine / legs as the tightness In the Achilles could be caused by irritation to the sciatic nerve and possible use k tape on the QL muscle. I would concentrate on clams / side series in Pilates to strengthen gluts and finally I'd get a gait analysis from a podiatrist to correct leg length If necessary. I would try and find the root cause of the tight muscles if its only developed its possible the discs are starting to wear with the running so I would drop back a little and start swimming for all over toning.

[anneros]

You possibly have a very slight leg length discrepency caused by a slight malalignment in the spine. I would get a Physio to do some soft tissue releases to the periformis muscle with acupuncture to the trigger point and piriformis stretches. I'd also get a good 'hands on' Physio who'll stretch out your whole spine / legs as the tightness In the Achilles could be caused by irritation to the sciatic nerve and possible use k tape on the QL muscle. I would concentrate on clams / side series in Pilates to strengthen gluts and finally I'd get a gait analysis from a podiatrist to correct leg length If necessary. I would try and find the root cause of the tight muscles if its only developed its possible the discs are starting to wear with the running so I would drop back a little and start swimming for all over toning.

Thanks very much for that. You are probably right, I maybe should go back to the physio. It's just that I've been through just about everything you've mentioned. Still, probably worth revisiting it.