Maximus Gage
The lumbar spine is a vital part of the body, supporting the upper body and distributing body weight. It allows for a wide range of movements, including forward and backward bending and rotation. The muscles that facilitate lumbar mobility include the latissimus dorsi, iliopsoas, paraspinals, transversus abdominis, quadratus lumborum, oblique abdominals, multifidus, and erector spinae. These muscles work together with the lumbar vertebrae, ligaments, and nervous system to enable lumbar stability and mobility. Exercises targeting these muscles can improve strength and endurance, providing stability and pain-free movement.
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What You'll Learn
Lumbar instability exercises
The lumbar stabilization exercise program typically progresses from static to dynamic movements and from resisting gravity to resisting additional outside force. It is important to maintain a neutral spine position throughout the exercises. Here are some specific lumbar instability exercises:
- Hip Abduction Exercise: This exercise strengthens the muscles around the hips, contributing to lower back stability. Lie on your side with your lower arm bent under your head and your upper arm resting on the floor near your chest. Bend both knees and flex your hips while finding a neutral spine position. Slowly raise your upper leg 8 to 10 inches and lower it back down. Repeat for 5 to 10 repetitions on each side.
- Neutral Spine Exercise: Pull your belly in and up at the navel without moving your rib cage, pelvis, or spine. Focus on contracting the transversus abdominis muscle, which is crucial for spinal stability. Gradually increase the duration of the contraction.
- Leg Extension Exercise: Start with both feet on the ground and then straighten one leg, holding this position for about 10 seconds before switching legs. To increase the challenge, you can add weights, such as on a leg extension machine.
- Hamstring Stretches: These promote flexibility and reduce muscle tightness in the low back and legs. They are passive exercises that require little muscle effort.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing and Abdominal Bracing: When experiencing acute pain or difficulty with larger movements, focus on diaphragmatic breathing and gentle abdominal bracing as a first step.
It is important to consult with a doctor or physical therapist before starting lumbar instability exercises, especially if you are experiencing pain. They can provide specific recommendations and guidance based on your individual condition.
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Lumbar stabilisation exercises
Dead Bugs
- Lie on your back with your back pressed into the floor or table.
- Hold this position for 10 seconds.
- Slowly move one foot and the opposite hand away from your body, ensuring that your back remains pressed into the floor or table.
- Focus on maintaining a stable spine through abdominal bracing.
Clams
- Lie on your side with your knees bent and together.
- Keep your spine stable through abdominal bracing.
- Lift your top knee away from the bottom knee while keeping your feet together.
- Ensure that you do not roll your hips back.
In addition to these specific exercises, it is important to address weight-bearing muscles and postures. This can include using specific facilitation techniques for dysfunctional weight-bearing muscles and gradually increasing gravitational load cues to retrain the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine.
It is always recommended to consult with a doctor or physical therapist before beginning lumbar stabilisation exercises, especially if you are experiencing acute pain. They can provide guidance on the appropriate exercises and ensure a safe progression.
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Weightbearing muscles
Weight-bearing exercises are an important component of lumbar instability treatment. These exercises are any activities that are performed on one or both feet, requiring the body to carry its weight on at least one lower extremity. The skeletal system becomes more stable and stronger by adapting to the impact of muscles and body weight through weight-bearing.
Low-intensity weight-bearing exercises have been shown to be beneficial in bone healing and have been demonstrated to help the healing response, particularly following an Achilles tendon rupture. Weight-bearing exercises are also expected to be beneficial in the recovery process following orthopedic surgery, helping to reduce post-op complications.
Training the weightbearing muscles can likely reverse impairments in the non-weightbearing muscles. Initially, specific facilitation techniques should be used for dysfunctional weightbearing muscles, with an emphasis on increasing weightbearing load cues. Optimal weightbearing postures should be used to re-establish the recruitment of both local and weightbearing muscles.
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Muscle-lengthening techniques
The lumbar spine is responsible for supporting most of the body's weight and stress from lifting and carrying items. It also facilitates movement in the trunk and lower back, allowing for flexion, extension, side bending, rotation, and twisting. The lumbar spine is also the centre of the body's balance.
PNF stretching, short for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, is a technique that is effective for lengthening tight muscles and increasing long-term mobility. PNF stretching involves three phases that should be repeated at least three times: relaxation in an elongated position, agonist contraction, and antagonist contraction.
The first phase involves elongating the muscle to the first resistance barrier. This is followed by an isometric contraction of the muscle being stretched for at least 6-10 seconds. Finally, there is a 10-30 second contraction of the opposing musculature to bring you to the next tissue barrier.
Other muscle-lengthening techniques include self-administered joint mobilisation techniques and release techniques.
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Latissimus dorsi
The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat, triangular-shaped muscle that covers the width of the middle and lower back. It is the widest muscle in the human body. The muscle is also commonly known as the “lats”, especially among bodybuilders. The latissimus dorsi is responsible for several functions, including extension, adduction, transverse extension, flexion from an extended position, and medial internal rotation of the shoulder joint.
The latissimus dorsi has a synergistic role in the extension and lateral flexion of the lumbar spine. It assists in depressing the arm with the help of the teres major and pectoralis major muscles. The muscle also adducts, extends, and internally rotates the shoulder. When the arms are in a fixed overhead position, the latissimus dorsi pulls the trunk upward and forward, as in climbing or performing a chin-up.
The latissimus dorsi is supplied by the thoracodorsal artery, a continuation of the subscapular artery, which is a branch of the third part of the axillary artery. Additionally, the latissimus dorsi receives blood supply from the dorsal perforating branches of the inferior three posterior intercostal arteries and the superior three lumbar arteries. The muscle is innervated by the sixth, seventh, and eighth cervical nerves through the thoracodorsal nerve.
The latissimus dorsi is closely related to the teres major and pectoralis major muscles embryologically, as they all originate from the pre-muscle sheath of the arm. The latissimus dorsi is found superficially in the lower two-thirds of the trunk, covering the serratus posterior muscles. It is surrounded by two major muscles: the teres major and pectoralis major. The latissimus dorsi crosses the inferior angle of the scapula and is involved in scapular motion, pulling the inferior angle of the scapula in various directions.
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Frequently asked questions
The muscles that attach to the lumbar spine include the latissimus dorsi, iliopsoas, and paraspinals.
The latissimus dorsi is a large, flat, wide triangular-shaped muscle that helps you use your arms to pull up your body weight, helps you breathe by lifting your rib cage, and helps you bend to the side.
The iliopsoas is a three-muscle group that moves your hip joint. There is one on each side of your body, and they flex and stabilize your hip and lower back as you walk, run, and get out of a chair.
The paraspinals are a group of three muscles located along the length of the spine. They help with extending, side bending, and rotating the spine, as well as maintaining an upright body posture.
