The Unimportance of the Quadratus Lumborum

The quadratus lumborum gets lots of publicity when it comes to lower back pain and lateral pelvic tilts, but in reality it's completely over-rated.
While it does play a role in lateral pelvic tilt, it is most assuredly not the cause of a lateral or anterior pelvic tilt. It is just one muscle in a total body issue. Lateral pelvic tilts are visual representations of a body that can not move without compensatory muscle activity.
Resolving QL tension and pelvic tilts depend on learning how to walk and breathe without compensation.
Hey there, my name is Neal Hallinan.
The purpose of this channel is to help people understand and resolve chronic muscular and joint pain, primarily through the discipline of Postural Restoration.
As someone who lived with chronic pain for many years of my life, I know how debilitating and isolating it can be. But I also know it can be resolved.
I hold the following credentials:
Postural Restoration Trained (PRT)
Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS)
Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
Amateur Historian (AH, my own self-designation)
I live and work in the great state of New Jersey, USA.
I offer one-on-one training as well as online consultations via Skype. Feel free to e-mail me at [e-mail] for more info.
/ neal_hallinan
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Subscribe to my channel here: / @nealhallinan
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For an example of typical exercises for a beginner program, you can look here:
pritrainer.com...
Please note, this is quite generic and not sufficient for everybody!
For further information about Postural Restoration defined patterns, check out these videos and blog posts.
pritrainer.com...
• What is the Left AIC p...
• Introduction to the Ri...
pritrainer.com...
• RTMCC Pattern Basics
pritrainer.com...

[@tarp11z]

Neal, you recently led me to the Postural Restoration Institute. I have a 30 year pelvic injury that has all but ruined my spine. I am finally hopeful that I might actually get the right physical therapy. I have to be hopeful. Thank you for mentioning them in one of your videos. Wish me luck.

[@michaelrasley]

I wish you all the best. I've had issues for years and PRI is the only thing that has helped my pain. Neil is one of the best practitioners that is able to explain how PRI works. Keep watching and FOR SURE find a practitioner near you. Neil might be able to point you towards the best possible PRI option. Everyone in the PRI community kind of knows each other. I get reassessed by a PRI practinioner every 2-3 weeks just to make sure I'm in front of any issues.

[@tarp11z]

@@michaelrasleyThank you. I just started with a PRI physical therapist in Ft. Collins, CO. It's a bit of a drive from Denver, but well worth the drive. The exercises I'm doing so far are completely out of the box from anything I've done before, which encourages me greatly. My therapist told me more about my situation the first hour I saw him than anyone has in 30 years. That's not to say that I don't have a great chiropractor. I do. But there is so much more to the picture.

[@schminke89]

how are you doing now Jess? :)

[@tarp11z]

@@schminke89 hey there! I wish I could say I was better. I didn't have much luck with the physical therapist we had spoken about. I am seriously considering going to a pelvic floor physical therapist. How are you?

[@schminke89]

@@tarp11z okay thats rather Bad news :( I'll have my first PRI Session next week and only got to know about it about two months ago, i notice some changes but still a long way to go

[@thomas2081]

My right QL was spasming for 7 months. Since l started watching your vids Neal my health is getting better and l can see a bigger picture of how ‘messed up’ my body has been. I have been working on my walking and some people have noticed it. Never did l think that l would have to re-learn how to walk again lol. Thanks Neal. By far, one of the best and most interesting content on KZbin.

[@MalloryStanton]

Hi Thomas, I’ve been dealing with a right QL spasm for several months as well. Were you able to get it to calm down? Thanks!

[@thomas2081]

@@MalloryStanton Yes. Are you US or UK?

[@MalloryStanton]

@@thomas2081 US

[@thomas2081]

@@MalloryStanton I see. Long story short. You need to look into the overall picture of the biomechanics. So many things to look into Mallory. I would have to write a whole essay.

[@MalloryStanton]

@@thomas2081 I’m seeing a PRI certified trainer this month. Did PRI help you?

[@akanshaa5893]

You are a genius! No one has explained this issue the way you have

[@phakwipha]

Also, there is often a tight contralateral latissimus dorsi, sometimes it is ambiguous which is what, which is why I run my hands over the lower ribs on one side and check over the rim of the ilium over the other which can indicate either or. Ron mentions that the mandible and the temporal bone is like a rudder and that the lats and adductors often hold tension in relation to the above pattern.

[@adriangpuiu]

Neil ,the latisimus dorsi attaches on the same iliac crest as the QL ... contributes to the longisimus muscles ..... the two main contributors on keeping you straight, and contributes on the axial load, but because of the pec minor kicks in when you wanna externally rotate the arm it locks the necks muscles on one side , especially at the t5 and c4 c5 level.... especially on the left side... at least this is what I've noticed in my case

[@lw7654]

Adrian Puiu @Adrian Puiu, what you mentioned is exactly what I’m experiencing. Have you had any luck correcting this?? Thx

[@phakwipha]

A tight QL usually will show a reduced hip abduction on the same side, with weak glutes be and tight adductors.

[@danielhackett1581]

Hi Neal. Agree and disagree with you. My left QL is so locked up that it is in fact inhibiting my spine from being able to move side to side as you say. It can only move to the right side not the left. The left ql has the tighest knot you could imagine in it - the last week ive foam rolled it every day which has improved mobility but i seem to have a huge lump there that i cant get rid of that inhibiting movement to the left side

[@NealHallinan]

The left QL is often achy when both sides of the pelvis are rotated forward, not just in the left AIC pattern. I know not everyone believes me about this point, but regardless of which QL hurts or feels tight, the underlying asymmetrical pelvis pattern is always the same.

[@LibertypopUK]

hi Neal, hope you are well Quick question on this - I have tight left hip, pain in right hamstring and clicking in right lower back, I believe this is because my torso is laterally hiked. I have noticed that doing the common PRI Exercises (6 months) has not removed this completely. I have been doing a lot of front and side planks which releases my hip completely for about 5 minutes then it goes back to being tight as can be ! by activating my core in the plank and relaxing hip flexors / QL this proves I have weakness and should rather work on strengthening ? - any thoughts here would be appreciated

[@NealHallinan]

I know it sounds so abstract, but it's "a pattern" that we are dealing with. It's much less of a strength issue. Almost no one is actually weak. You just can't turn the pattern "off", or can't keep it off. You'll need professional help. It's not simple. It takes therapists years to fully understand things.

[@loui2w118]

I tried to go on my own with some of the PRI exercises on KZbin with my own issues and the results were limited, I saw and improvement but didn’t last, until a started seeing a PRI provider and believe me it works. 2 years of left groin pain, si joint dysfunction, low back chronic pain piriformis syndrome, hip pain, started getting resolved. Give it a try

[@wiffer22222]

Interesting. I've recently seen a soft tissue therapist who has said my lower left back pain is as a result of my weak right glute causing the right ql to overwork and hitch my right pelvis and lower my right shoulder, causing stretch and pain in Left ql.

[@adriangpuiu]

the importance of QL... it anchors the 12th rib on deep and rapid inhalations and attaces on the iliac crest.. if thats tight everthing that you do either up stream or downstream will suffer ...

[@NealHallinan]

Yes, but my point is that it doesn't get tight by itself. Every muscle is important, but addressing it directly doesn't really resolve anything long term. That's why I label it "unimportant."

[@adriangpuiu]

Neal Hallinan forgot to mention that works in tandem with the psoas ... in fact they are married togheter ... you can fix that witht a lacrosse ball .. using reciprocal inhibition ... the ball under left ql.... adduct and abbduct right leg .. or lift the knee to neutralize the pelvis ... it gets tight due to too much sitting..

[@kenbaggs2075]

@@NealHallinan Neil what if you're somebody that has difficulty using the Internal Obliques/Tranversus Abdominis to keep the lower ribs down and back despite having freed up the space around the Serratus ANterior/Lower Trapezius. Could it well be possible that the lower ribs need the QL to work in conjunction with the IO/TA on the left to fully bring the left ribs especialy if they are in a flared position? I say this because QL is more posterior compared to IO/TA I think has more concentric force.

[@joemarz1823]

I have a technical question which may indirectly have something to do with this lecture.. anyway here it goes. I understand as an average person the ideas of pri and i also practice it. I 10000000..% believe in the whole idea, philosophy, theory, truth etc. Recently however i ran across videos on a guy named stuart McGill i found that his mechanisms of breathing and bracing were very effective especially for coordination and explosiveness and regaining strength and what im wondering is why doesnt pri ever really teach that way of breathing.. bc lets not forget there are several ways to breath and all ways are important especially when training and depending on different loads that youre body is trying to sustain.. ive also noticed that this way of breathing or the brace/pressurization definitely activates the obliques and gets the ribcage down and helps strengthen the anterior core.. not to mention i was definitely in a left aic right bc pattern but i find that if you dont implement the explosive breathing method in my opinion i think its a bit of a missing piece to the puzzle. Regardless there is no question that the way pri teaches the body to shift and breathe and walk is absolutely accurate i just think that it would be important to implement this other strategy as well especially to increase strength and stability. Sorry for the long question please get back to me with your thoughts, thank you sir you are brilliant !

[@adriangpuiu]

Joey Crack you are right buddy. breathing to explosion is key ... take an xample from the supersonic pilots in full g force load :) ... legs tight , but tight, , breathe ..... relax the chest ... or how indians are saying " breathe in trought that good ass prana"

[@joemarz1823]

@@adriangpuiu lol can you elaborate on the supersonic pilots infull g force load

[@adriangpuiu]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYqolWmsns1kp9U

[@joemarz1823]

@@adriangpuiu this is definitely a very extreme example of what i meant but thank you !

[@nikolaisalikov1257]

Stuart McGill is a very honored man, could you give me the links you refer to?

[@SumanSingh-py2sk]

Pls sir make a video dedicated on gait sir im doing a car driving job after 4 to 5 hour continuously driveing when I came out of car I feel. I forget how to walk can't feel my left side and feel deep anxiety pls sir make a video on walking and gait

[@namansharma5506]

I feel pain in left QL and on Lower rib my left leg hamstring is also weak and glutes also .but I don't have a lateral pelvic tilt although I feel little pain on neck when I turn my head forcefully to left. Do you think that it is a beginning of lateral pelvic tilt. Or is it only a muscle imbalance.

[@NealHallinan]

It's the underlying left AIC right BC pattern, or PEC pattern.

[@namansharma5506]

@@NealHallinan i am facing flat back = loss of cervical lordosis , loss of lumbar lordosis and posterior pelvic tilt but I am confused in thoracic regio. Please tell me that I have hyperkyphosis or whether it is loss of thoracic curvature?

[@adversaryforu9814]

Just found this. 2 years of stretching and different excersises, pain in my right ql. Should I do excersises for both sides och only my left?

[@schminke89]

What so you think about the "Standing supported r step around with right ql Stretch"? I found it posted on the pri website with a detailed instruction from Ron. The description mentioned a restricted ability to turn to the left at the lower back as a sign of a tight right ql that resonated with me because i mentioned that restriction long time ago in yoga twists .... But after performing the exercise my right low back is rather painful, don't know If i should Stop that technique or its a good sign of things opening Up... So i guess my question is: can new painful sensations be a sign of things getting better? I know it sounds strange but how knows 😅

[@kimsmith1488]

I’ve been doing PR for a few months. Just went to my regular PT and she worked on my tight right psoas. Now my right QL hurts. So I’m going to do more 9090 balloon breathe work and see if that will help. Thanks

[@NealHallinan]

Kim, usually tight right psoas/QL indicate one or both of the following: - a body that still can't shift it's center of mass to the left, so the right hip musculature is always "on". - A body that can't use the right glute max/med to stabilize the right hip, so the psoas and QL are overused as stabilizers.

[@loui2w118]

Great info Neal, but can the QL contribute to SI joint dysfunction with left upslip and out flare? Or this si joint issue is cause by the AIC pattern? Do you have a video about SI joint dysfunction and PRI approach?

[@NealHallinan]

The SI joint issue is usually caused by the overall body pattern and resulting instability of the left hip. The QL is not the culprit. It's just put into a position that doesn't allow it to turn "off" and it's relied upon for stabilization.

[@namansharma5506]

I will request you that please make a one video on - how to strengthening QL , hamstring, abductor, glutes , hip flexor . Because I am getting confused by watching your videos. Please make one video on this

[@NealHallinan]

The QL doesn't need to be strengthened, nor the left hip flexors. The four techniques on my website all do what you are asking about (although it's not the extent of what everyone will need). pritrainer.com/pri-left-aic-right-bc-beginner-example-program/

[@namansharma5506]

@@NealHallinan thankyou so much

[@Stexxbax]

How to fix right hip higher than left, please link exercise

[@roopalokanath6541]

For someone with acute muscular imbalance and chronic pain, what PRI exercises would you recommend should be followed to correct it? A strong left AIC right BC pattern...

[@NealHallinan]

pritrainer.com/pri-left-aic-right-bc-beginner-example-program/ All of these as a way to start.

[@ZeleBVoBVA]

Neal, thanks for the video. I have bilateral pelvic tilt, in the video you say - just breathing, could you tell us more about this? What i can do for myself? my ribcage and spine is in extension and I cannot exhale to the end because the diaphragm seems to be not in a working position.

[@NealHallinan]

you can try any of the techniques on my website, but almost everyone needs help from someone well trained in PRI. I wish that weren't the case, but it is.

[@ZeleBVoBVA]

@@NealHallinanthanks for the answer Neal. I live in a small town in perifery of Russia, there is no one trained pri, in all country. do you do distance therapy? I've been looking for at least some help for a long time, and my back situation is getting worse. i found your channel and in all of your videos i found many sense

[@MOHANDE1980]

Hi dr I have a right psis higher than the left does this indicate that the right quadratus lumborum is tight.

[@NealHallinan]

It's certainly possible.

[@hadi257]

Im a L aic R bc and j'm only having left ql pain/numbness and right trap spasms only when seated for a long time. Will these eventually go away after doing L aic R bc exercises?

[@NealHallinan]

Perhaps. Try sensing your left "sit bone", left heel, and right arch more when sitting.

[@billsemenoff]

I've been working hard to get symmetry for a while. I've got plenty of strength in the left, but my right side has so much better coordination, timing, skill etc it seems like a shame to inhibit its function just to let my idiot left half make its contribution and I can tell it's not going to be a quick process..

[@nikolaisalikov1257]

I don't feel my right QL, but my left QL is constantly tight (and left psoas, left SCM, left scalenes, left levator scapulae). Ideas what it could be? I still think I'm in left AIC, right BC pattern.

[@NealHallinan]

All I can say is that from my experience your left side is suffering from the right-sided pattern. Left sided pain can be very stubborn and it often involves a left hip that is incredibly weak due to stretched out soft tissue/ligamental laxity.

[@nikolaisalikov1257]

@@NealHallinan Thank you very much. I'll think about it.

[@sukkhie-logs4444]

Can tight QL on right side...inhibit right obliques too...??

[@NealHallinan]

I wouldn't say the right QL inhibits the right abdominals, it's the overall pattern itself. Usually the right abdominals are easy to activate because they have the right diaphragm to help out. It's the left abdominals that are difficult to activate.

[@reginaldbeard2492]

If one of your qls is weaker than the other one then you have to address it . You need to look up knees over toes guy

[@paulgeorge9228]

youre gonna get more injured if you listen to kot guy lmao. you never heard how all the knee exercises he promotes lead to ankle issues and achilles issues in his clients cuz their knees are way stronger than the ankles?

[@reginaldbeard2492]

@@paulgeorge9228 wrong answer he addresses ankle flexibility before getting your knees stronger...

[@paulgeorge9228]

@@reginaldbeard2492 doesnt matter, flexibility doesnt address strength imbalances

[@reginaldbeard2492]

@@paulgeorge9228 what are you talkin about his ankle exercises are strengthening exercises... the best possible at that... get you a slant board and do some step ups and see if it doesn't address strength and flexibility.... you really sound crazy or you haven't looked at the program... I don't even pay for the program I get it all free from KZbin but I can vouch for it

[@paulgeorge9228]

@@reginaldbeard2492 either way kot guy approach to this dsnt even help ql. the ql is only tight as a result of a bad neuromovement pattern not because its weak or tight