which muscles contribute to hyper lordosis/sway back

Hello all on this forum, first post here so thanks for any responses...


With regards to hyper lordosis/sway back i just wanted to confirm which muscles needed stretching and which needed strengthning.


Stretching:- Hamstrings, Gluteal muscles, lower back

Strengthning - abdominal muscels, quads.

I wasnt sure whether the quads and hips should be stretched aswell.

Ive been diagnosed with sway back poor posture by the hoispital specialist and it will be a while before im reffered to physio. So i just want start some strenghning and stretching Now. Ive done some limited research and the above is what ive concludedl.

Thanks for any advice or help.

In my experience there isn't just one presentation of "sway back". So I am cautious about giving advice about which muscles to work on lengthening and which ones to strengthen. Furthermore how you go about strengthening can be an issue as well.

There are two issues with people who present with sway back:

1) one is to do with overall alignment of one body segment on another. In some people they may have tight hi extensor muscles which results in the pelvis being rotated posteriorly, and the upper spine and shoulder girdle is aligned backwards which results in the exaggerated curve throughout the lumbar spine. alternatively some people have tight hip flexors so that their pelvis is rotated anteriorly and this with goes with increased lordosis (arching curve) of the lumbar spine.

2) Locally there is often tightness and over-development of the lumbar extensor muscles and weakness of the lower abdominal muscles.

But as I said everyone can be a bit different so getting a good assessment of your posture and muscle balance is important before tackling which muscles to stretch and strengthen. So why not get a thorough assessment of your posture and muscle function and some specific advice. That way you won't get it wrong and end up doing something that won't help matters or could even make matters worse.

Hi,



In addition to the above the one would treat the cause and not the symptoms!!

one of causes of hyperlordosis is anterior derangment of the disc and its a rare cases!!!

thanks for the replies. ive been told ive got to start standing correctly and it hasnt helped that im a plasterer whilst using poor posture over the years. im 31 by the way...

ive had low back pain for 7 years now. INITIALLY it was diagnosed by my gp as a herniated disk which gave me really bad sciatica pain all the way down my leg,, this lasted years but i just got on with it and took anti-inflammatorys,.. for the last couple of years it comes and goes but centers around the bottom of my back and ONLY ever as low as my RIGHT buttock or hip - never lower. sometimes its bad and not so othertimes.

basically this is when id had enough. and wanted an MRI to see what actually is the problem so i was reffered to a specialist and he said no mri scan because he could see straight away why i was in lower back pain that i had poor posture when i stood up.

I asked about the sciatica and he said I probably did have a trapped nerve once upon a time but now that has resolved itself and now i have lower back pain because of my poor posture.. sway back...

anyhow ive been trying out some stretching excersises which ive found of the internet and other day i noticed i have snapping hip syndrome right side, its really loud, i never new i had it and had no reason to untill i done this one particualar stretch. So im also presuming ive goto stretch the iliotibial band as well. Also for the record when i do leg curls on a weights bench with heavy weights my RIGHT kne clicks each time aswell. (i havnt done any for about 4 months but i just remember this what with everything else going on) I was thinking mayby its all linked - click knee snapp hip and pain in hip buttock all right side??

ill be telling all this to NHS physio eventually.

just thought id share my life story...:D

Hi evosy1978

Thanks for the info. Yes being a plasterer you would have a tendency to overarching the lower back particularly when you are reaching above your head to do your work. One other thought - as you have chronic back pain and a notable postural problem you may like to consider another alternative:

The Alexander method has been demonstrated to reduce pain and improve function in chronic low back pain. The method is all about improving quality and efficiency of posture. Here is a summary of a recent high quality clinical trial that examined the how people benefited from the method:

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/...Faug19_2%2Fa88

I don't think you can get lessons on the NHS - you have to go privately - (go to a registered Alexander Teacher). But it is another option. It is more about education than treatment so you are learning a skill that you can apply for the rest of your life.

thanks for the article - seems interesting, will read more in depth when i get a minute.

im starting to wonder a bit about the "latest" area of pain that i get. it is only ever right hand side of my buttock. the top part that is close to a bone mayby or something hip/pelvis?

im pretty sure that i trigger this pain each day in the morning when i do my stretches? im pretty sure and i will do some trial and error that its a glute or piriformis stretch that makes it hurt. although i will say its a bearable pain nothing harsh or major. its just like a dull throb in the top of the right buttock quite close to a bone or something. Now cuould this be the stretch rubbing on the sciatica nerve or something to do with the snapping hip?

to be honest (touch wood) ive not had actual pain in back for a few weeks now.

thanks for any advice

Hi evosy1978

Without doing and examination I wouldn't really be able to tell you the offending body structure.

Yes it could be one of the muscles around the pelvis or perhaps something to do with the sacroiliac joint. However low back pain frequently refers pain to that area and as you have been having such pain on and off I think it would be quite likely to be related to your low back. That is simply based on the rule that if you can find one cause for all the phenomena that is more likely than multiple causes.

hi.
m a new member of this community. but not new to the field.
yes regarding ur backache, the most important thing is your posture. so first u must try to correct it.it wont come in a day or two.. but it ll take some time. secondly about ur sway back or the hyper lordosis, there are many causes for it. may be its just weakness in ur abodominal muscles.so although i havent gone for ur physical examination but i think training of ur abdominal muscles and core stabilization exercises can help you. so go for these.

ok so i totally agree ive got to correct the posture.

but how do i do this? im constantly thrusting/tilting my pelvic backward so to straighten my lower back when im standing and walking and whenever i consiously think about it. I now hate the feel of my spine pushing inwards i can just feel the pressure on the bottom of my spine it feels so wrong sometimes.

Is it ok to constantly be doing a pelvic tilt??. :o

I think im in a losing battle with my job. ive been boarding ceilings lately and god my back is so pushing inwards when i lean back to reach upwards.:mad:

Anyway i want to run something else passed you.. ive noticed the other day whilst doing some stretches. - my one side of my rib cage is petruding forward more than the other side. You cant notice looking straight at it, you have to look down my body at my toes. so either one rib cage is bigger or being pushed outwards or is twisted...

any advice
thanks

Quote:

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ok so i totally agree ive got to correct the posture.

but how do i do this? im constantly thrusting/tilting my pelvic backward so to straighten my lower back when im standing and walking and whenever i consiously think about it. I now hate the feel of my spine pushing inwards i can just feel the pressure on the bottom of my spine it feels so wrong sometimes.

Is it ok to constantly be doing a pelvic tilt??.

---

I think you need to get some help with this. Someone needs to assess your problem. What you are doing may not be a very efficient way of dealing with the problem. It is hard to be objective about such issues so get a physio to assess your spine and posture.

Quote:

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Anyway i want to run something else passed you.. ive noticed the other day whilst doing some stretches. - my one side of my rib cage is petruding forward more than the other side. You cant notice looking straight at it, you have to look down my body at my toes. so either one rib cage is bigger or being pushed outwards or is twisted..

---

Most likely is htat you have a mild scoliosis - that the spine is twisted and rotated a little. It may or may not be significant. A lot of people have mild scoliosis and it doesn't cause them any problems.

Hi,
I'm currently researching Pilates and Chronic Low Back Pain. There is good scientific evidence (7 RCT's) saying that it helps reduce pain.

If you continue for at least 6 months, the results are much better and longer lasting. Fewer visits to the Dr and more confidence to exercise effectively.

If you do have scoliosis it obviously can't 'fix it' but the exercises concentrate on the 'core' deep abdominals, back extensors, iliopsoas (hip flexor) and glutes. Done correctly, with a trained instructor, it can help balance your muscles and help your posture.

I had chronic low back problems, from a prolapsed disc at L4/L5. After every non-invasive procedure possible it was eventually operated on, removed and replaced and the discs were fused. So I totally understand your problem. Pilates really helped me become more mobile (stretching tight muscles) and balance my weak glutes and tight hip flexors. I was back to it 6 weeks post-op (I had been doing it pre-op).

It's worth a try....worked for me....don't think of it as a 'female' thing....golfers, footballers and rugby all players do pilates.
Everything to gain :)
Goosey

I would advise you to seek refferal to an Osteopath, which is an increacingly availble via the nhs and GP refferal - or even reffer yourself to a private practitioner, in which case you would have to pay but could be seen tomorrow; postural problems such as those you discribe are an osteopaths area of experteise, though many physiotherapists are highly compitent in the area.

Your eargerness to be proactive is very good, but without being assesed clinicians are not going to be able to offer proper advice to you but rather give you a list of differentials.

I notice you mentioned a previous back injury so would suggest you read up on or at least ask your practitioner about arthrogenic inhibition; It is a relativly common cause of dysfunction that follows on from injurys and predispose to further problems in the future, the assosiation of Pilates to aiding back pain is due to its effectiveness in countering this. But again I'm offering a differential...

J

hey up all.

was hoping to get some feedback on a comparison between my problems and "lower cross syndrome"?

Has many people heard of it. Seems like the perfect diagnosis for my symptoms?

thanks