Figure Athlete - Pain Free Lower Body Posture

Pain Free Lower Body Posture
by Dr. Clay Hyght

While discussing upper body posture may have been sexier (Sexy Upper Body Posture), identifying and correcting faulty lower body posture is every bit as important.

When you consider the fact that abnormal lower body posture can cause back, hip, knee, and even ankle pain and dysfunction, it becomes apparent that optimal lower body posture is crucial! And hey, isn't being pain-free sexy anyway?

When I refer to lower body posture, I'm primarily referring to the position and alignment of the pelvis and the lumbar spine.

Society's emphasis on round butts is not helping women avoid an anteriorly rotated pelvis.

The pelvic girdle is the base or foundation of the entire spine. Essentially, the spine sits atop the pelvis. If this foundation is tilted or twisted, the spine is obviously going to suffer.

Likewise, abnormal pelvic position, if left untreated, usually leads to hip and/or knee problems. Even the ankles can be affected.

Instead of taking a from-the-bottom-up approach, consider that the legs extend down from the pelvis, as opposed to the pelvis sitting on top of the legs. That's how pelvic misalignment can cause abnormal positioning and movement of the legs.

Hopefully it's now clear that the position and alignment of your pelvic girdle is something you should be aware of and give consideration to. If not, wait until you're in pain; then come back and read this article, oh stubborn one.

It's been my experience that the most common postural abnormality in the lower body is Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS). Oddly, I see this condition even more in those of us who work out than I do in lay people, though it's exceedingly common in both populations.

Like Upper Crossed Syndrome, the lower body version was identified by Vladimir Janda and also involves groups of hypertonic and hypotonic muscles.

Though it's fairly accurate to say (as many do) that hypertonic muscles are "tight" and hypotonic muscles are "weak," this isn't always the case. There are exceptions, but for sake of simplicity and agreement, let's say for purposes of this article that muscles with too much tone (hypertonic) are tight, and that neurologically inefficient (hypotonic) muscles are weak. Cool?

Lower Crossed Syndrome is based on the principle of reciprocal inhibition. Reciprocal inhibition states that if one muscle is hypertonic, its antagonist is likely hypotonic. This occurs because the body is (luckily) very savvy. It won't let two antagonist muscles both be tight; otherwise your muscles would be playing tug of war with each other.

When it comes to LCS, the lumbar spinal erectors and the hip flexors are hypertonic, while the abs and glutes are hypotonic.

Hypertonic (tight) Muscles
• Lumbar erectors
• Hip flexors

Hypotonic (weak) Muscles
• Abdominals
• Glutes

In this graphic representation of LCS, the line labeled "b" represents the hypotonic muscles, while the "a" line represents the hypertonic muscles.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to identify LCS is to look at the curvature of the lumbar spine. While the lumbar spine should certainly have a lordotic curve, presence of an exaggerated lordotic curve (hyperlordosis) can indicate LCS.

A more precise way to evaluate the possible existence of LCS is to access pelvic tilt. Normally a line drawn between the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS) and the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) would go just slightly "downhill." Most agree that between 5 and 10° is optimal.

If this line exceeds 10° or so, then an anterior pelvic tilt (APT) is present.

The approximately 25° line you see in this picture is certainly not optimal and indicates a severe anterior pelvic tilt, one of the most common complications of LCS.

Though the majority of people who have an anteriorly rotated pelvis do have LCS, the precise way to confirm this is to test the abs and glutes to see if they fire properly and have optimal strength. Likewise test the length of the hip flexors and the lumbar spinal erectors.

While going over exactly how to do these tests is beyond the scope of this article, it's pretty safe to say that if your pelvis is titled anteriorly, then you likely have LCS and can benefit from some corrective techniques.

If you sit at a desk and/or in your car for multiple hours per day, then chances are good — make that great — that you have (or will have) LCS. So don't even think about not paying attention and taking action!

Because the lumbar spine was designed to have a slight lordotic curve, an exaggerated curve essentially jams the facet joints together. In and of itself, this can hurt. But it can (and usually does) also lead to joint fixation and lack of mobility. While this may be good for your chiropractor's bank account, it's not good for you.

Hyperlordosis may even compromise nerve flow. This is not good for anything innervated by the lumbar nerve roots (which is essentially your entire lower body!).

Hip and knee pain are also common complications of a misaligned pelvis. In fact, I recently had a bout of patellar tendonitis that stemmed from a weak glute and an anterior pelvic tilt. Once identified, I was able to correct this problem, and, as if by magic, my knee pain went away.

Would I even need to mention that your performance will be seriously compromised if you have Lower Crossed Syndrome and its associated maladies? I didn't think so.

Correcting the muscular imbalances associated with LCS is pretty straightforward. You must restore the normal length and tonicity of the hypertonic (tight) muscles while increasing the tonicity (and strength) of the weakened musculature.

While Eric Cressey has done a great job of pointing out that the role of the lumbar spine is primarily stability as opposed to mobility, I still contend that a reasonable amount of stretching the lumbar spinal erectors is fine for most, especially if done safely. Stretching the low-back (and hips) a bit often does wonders for taking the edge of a tight lower back.

Regarding the hip flexors, it's unanimous that practically everyone would benefit from stretching the hip flexors. This is especially important in our society because we spend so much time in a flexor-dominant position (i.e. seated at a desk).

Now think for a minute about how many minutes or hours per day your hip flexors are in a shortened position.

Do you sit at a desk? Do you drive? Do you ever ball up the fetal position and cry because you're not dating John Mayer and he didn't write you a birthday song?

Any time spent in one of these flexor-dominant positions is time your hip flexors are shortened. This is not good for those of us trying to loosen and lengthen our tight hip flexors.

In fact, one of the primary hip flexors (the psoas) attaches to the lumbar spine. That's one way tight/shortened hip flexors can further exaggerate a hyperlordotic curve.

Make sure to take regular, frequent breaks when sitting for long periods of time (over one hour).

The other facet of treating LCS is to strengthen the muscles associated with the other part of the "X" — the abs and glutes.

Although we say these muscles need to be strengthened, to say they need to be toned is more accurate. I'm not referring to the oh-so-common misuse of the word "tone;" I'm referring to the neurological tone of a muscle. In other words, its ongoing state of slight contraction and its ability to contract quickly and forcefully.

Frequently (and forcefully) stimulating a muscle is the key to improving the tonicity of that muscle. That's precisely why you will frequently do the corrective routine that follows. This will ensure that you're on the fast track to correcting your LCS.

Also take a look at your training routine to make sure that you don't have more quad dominant exercises (i.e. front squats, leg press) than you do hip dominant exercises (i.e. step-ups, deadlifts).

• Stretch hip flexors and lower back
• Strengthen abdominals and glutes
• Take breaks during prolonged sitting
• Balance quad-dominant and hip-dominant exercises

Without further ado, let's move on to the routine that will help restore your lower body posture and leave you feeling better than ever.

Stretches

Begin by lying flat on your back. Bring your knees toward your chest by bending your knees and hips. Hug your legs, pulling your knees into your chest until you feel a comfortable stretch in your lower back.

Rx: Perform this stretch twice, holding each one for 15-30 seconds. Perform this stretch at least once per day.

Knee-hug Stretch

Begin seated on the ground with the soles of your feet together and pulled fairly close to you. Grasp your feet and, while keeping your back fairly straight, pull yourself forward until you feel a nice stretch in your lower back.

Note: Avoid excessively flexing (rounding) your spine. If you have (or have had) a disc herniation or other flexion pathology, avoid doing this stretch.

Rx: Perform this stretch twice, holding each one for 15-30 seconds. Perform this stretch at least once per day.

Butterfly Stretch

Begin by lying flat on your back. Bend your left hip and knee to 90° and grasp the outside of your left knee with your right hand. While keeping your left shoulder on the ground, bring your left knee over to the right until you feel a nice stretch in your lower back. Repeat on the other side.

Rx: Perform this stretch twice on each side, holding each one for 15-30 seconds. Perform this stretch at least once per day.

Side Lying Low Back Twist

Begin by kneeling on your right knee with your left foot forward and your left (forward) knee bent to about 90°. Begin the stretch by shifting your weight forward toward your left foot while keeping your spine vertical. You should begin to feel the stretch on the front of your right hip area.

Finish this two part stretch by reaching up high and over to the left with your right arm. This will accentuate the stretch in your right hip. Switch legs and repeat.

Rx: Perform this stretch twice on each side, holding each one for 15-30 seconds. Perform this stretch at least twice per day, more if you have a desk job.

Lunge & Lean Hip Flexor Stretch

Exercises

Lie on the floor with your knees bent to 90° and your feet flat on the floor. Put your arms out to the side for stability. Begin by pushing through your heels to bring your hips off the ground. Push your hips up as high as you can. Hold this position for a second before lowering back down.

Rx: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions. If you're serious about improving your posture quickly, do this exercise six days per week. Otherwise, do it at least three times per week.

Begin in an all-fours position with your shoulders over your wrists, and your hips over your knees. Extend your right leg out behind you, fully contracting your right glute. Your leg will end up parallel to the floor or slightly higher.

After pausing in the contracted position for a second, reverse the movement by drawing your right leg in towards your torso, keeping it off the ground until you've completed the appropriate number of repetitions. Repeat with your left leg.

Rx: Do 3 sets of 15 repetitions. If you're serious about improving your posture quickly, do this exercise six days per week. Otherwise, do it at least three times per week.

Start by lying on your back with your legs and arms straight up in the air. (You may want to place your right hand on your left obliques to ensure that you're bracing forcefully.) Begin the movement by lowering you right leg and left arm out to the sides while keeping your torso rigidly still.

Once you've lowered to the point where you can no longer keep your torso perfectly still, return back to the starting position. Once you've done the appropriate number of reps, switch sides and repeat.

Rx: Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions on each side. Do this exercise three nonconsecutive days per week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Begin seated on the edge of a bench with your hands lightly grabbing the bench behind your butt for stability. Lean back with your torso and extend your legs out. Begin the movement by bringing your torso forward and your knees up.

Think of bringing your chest toward your knees and your knees toward your chest. Pause for a second in the fully contracted position and repeat.

Note: those with a past or present disc herniation should probably skip this exercise.

Rx: Do 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions on each side. Do this exercise three nonconsecutive days per week (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Friday).

Pain Free Lower Body Posture

While I've given you a great routine for improving you lower body posture, feel free to implement other exercises and stretches. There's a seemingly infinite number of ab and glute exercises, so, while the ones I've shown you are money, try some other exercises and stretches for variety.

If you come up with ones you especially enjoy that aren't mentioned in this article, don't forget to share them with the rest of us in the article discussions to follow.

Clay Hyght, DC, CSCS, CISSN has been a competitive bodybuilder for 16 years and an NPC Judge for many of those. Residing in Danville, CA, Dr. Clay works with some of the top competitors in bodybuilding and figure. For more fitness tips or to subscribe to his free newsletter, visit his website.

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