How To Fix Poor Posture: Lower-Crossed Syndrome Pt 2
In our fast-paced world, where the majority of our days are spent behind desks, the prevalence of Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS) among office workers has become a pressing concern. LCS not only compromises our posture but significantly contributes to the widespread issue of lower back pain.
In our last blog, we discussed the specific pattern of muscle imbalance associated with LCS. This time we take what we know about LCS and come up with actionable solutions for you to apply to your life. We will go through how to implement targeted exercise into your daily life.
But first, a quick recap of Lower-crossed syndrome.
What is lower crossed syndrome?
Lower-crossed syndrome is a postural condition characterised by specific muscle imbalances caused by our modern lifestyle.
In LCS there are two main muscle issues: tightness and weakness. You will find tightness in the hip flexors at the front and the lower back extensor muscles. Accompanied by the weakness of the abdominals and the hip extensors. Due to the combination of long-term lower back muscle tightness, plus the increased compression on the lumbar spine facet joints from being in an arched posture, the lower back usually becomes painful.
If you haven't already, be sure to read our last post to get a better understanding of LCS. But now you have an understanding of LCS, we can begin to target the specific muscles involved to help reverse the changes.
Exercises to Improve Muscle Imbalances
If you understand the specific muscle tightness and weakness patterns involved with LCS you can start to see how we can use exercise to reverse the postural changes.
Reversing LCS is more challenging than just stretching both the hip flexors and back extensors. If you solely focus on muscle tightness without addressing the weakness of the abs and the glutes, you will end up right back where you started. The tightness of the hip flexors and lower back muscles builds from a lack of help from the weak abs and glutes. So to effectively address the muscle imbalance, we need to approach both ends.
Let's go through each of the muscle imbalances and come up with some exercises that you can do at home.
Exercises for Hip flexor tightness
Tight hip flexors are so common in today’s society. The time we spend sitting throughout our day positions the hip flexors in a shortened position. Ideally, to reduce tightness we should aim to limit the time sitting throughout the day, but some jobs just don’t allow that.
So we need an effective way of lengthening the hip flexors to counteract the build-up of tightness. And it can be as simple as a hip flexor stretch. BUT. If we are going to use a hip flexor stretch, we need to do it right. Below is a great video that explains how to get the most out of your hip flexor stretch.
The key to stretching your hip flexors is controlling your pelvis position. A good hip flexor stretch counteracts the forward tilting of the pelvis to wind up tension, then applies stretch to the front of the hip. If you tilt your pelvis correctly, you won’t need to lunge forward as far.
Exercises for Lower back extensor tightness
Next up is releasing tension in the lower back muscles. In LCS the typical lower back posture change is too much arching. This puts the lower back muscles into a shortened position, but it also compresses the lumbar spine facet joints. So to release this tension we need to do the opposite.
Our goal is going to be rounding the lower back to lengthen the muscles and open up the facet joints. Two exercises that are great for that: cat/camel and child’s pose. Both are in an unloaded position for your spine, meaning there is no risk of lower back aggravation.
Exercises to strengthen your core
After addressing the tight areas, we need to turn our attention to the weak areas. The key to strengthening your abdominals to reverse the postural changes found in LCS is targeting the core’s ability to resist the forward tilt of the pelvis and arching of the back. This will simultaneously reduce the overactivity of the hip flexors and lengthen the lower back muscles.
Below is a set of core exercises that I love to use with my clients. We have included a beginner and an advanced version so there is an exercise for everyone. With a plank, your body will want to fall into an arched position so it is the job of the abs to resist this - film yourself so you can see what your lower back is doing. The side plank gets your abs and glutes working together. While the Dead Bug is a great exercise to challenge your ability to turn your abs on with a rotational demand on the core. Each exercise works a slightly different aspect of core stability so your core will be better at handling the challenges life throws at you.
If you find it difficult to control your pelvis and lower back position and want to level up your core stability, sign up for our FREE blueprint to core stability. The exercises may not get you a 6-pack but they will get your core functioning in the way it was built.
Exercises to strengthen your glutes
Last on our list is improving your hip extensor weakness. For this, our main targets are the glutes. Nothing like some booty work to tie it all together. The great thing about good glute exercises is that they always include some core work. Below we go through how to perform a bridge the right way. Learn how to get more glute work instead of lower back tightness.
In the second video, we address three different exercises to target slightly different glute functions, again with beginner and advanced options. First, we have a double or single-leg bridge to challenge your hip extension strength. Next, we have a marching bridge exercise to help improve your glute activation during uneven weight bearing. Lastly, we include a side leg raise to target your glute medius and minimus, which helps to control your weight shifting (very important for walking and running).
For the best results, it’s important to train your glutes in a combination of exercises to get your body ready for different situations.
Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine will address the muscle imbalances of LCS. The key is to create balance in the body. Mobility and strength need to work together for optimal movement to occur.
