![\"Lower](\"http:\/\/devinephysiques.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/anterior_pelvic_tilt.jpg\")
<\/a>Lower Crossed Syndrome. A surprisingly hard picture to find.<\/p><\/div>\n
Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS)<\/strong><\/p>\n This is characterized by an anterior tilt to the pelvis from an excessively arched back.\u00a0 A way to spot this in the wild is by observing the waistband on one’s pants;\u00a0 If, from back to front, the line of the waistband makes diagonal line downward, chances are you’re observing some level of LCS.\u00a0 This is usually identified through a static postural assessment, where a trainer would look at your standing posture from the side. From this, we can identify what muscles are “underactive,” and which are “overactive.”<\/p>\n Underactive vs. Overactive Muscles<\/strong><\/p>\n A muscle that is “Underactive” may also be referred to as “Lenghtened,” or “Functionally Weak.”\u00a0 These muscles allow the distortion (or compensation) to occur because they lack the strength necessary to keep your body in correct postural alignment.\u00a0 A example of this in someone with LCS is their transverse abdominis muscles.\u00a0 The tilt in the pelvis puts the abdominal complex in a continuously stretched position, creating a weak group of core muscles that don’t have the strength necessary to keep the lumbo-pelvic hip complex in a neutral position.\u00a0 Weakened abdominals also create a counterpart in their imbalance:\u00a0 A muscle that is “Overactive” can also be referred to as “Shortened,” or “Tight” muscles.\u00a0 These are the muscles that are continuously shortened \/ semi flexed, and lose a level of extensibility.\u00a0 To expand on our example, with the excessively arched back from LCS, the erector spinae (lower back muscles) are continuously shortened, which leads to inflexibility in the back, and eventually low back pain.\u00a0 It’s worth noting that these are two muscles mentioned as examples, but Lower Crossed Syndrome has an additional 5 overactive, and 5 underactive muscles.\u00a0 Overtime, LCS can lead to hamstring strain, knee pain, and low back pain.<\/p>\n What can you do to fix it?<\/strong><\/p>\n First, have a trainer assess both static and dynamic posture to identify postural imbalances.\u00a0 Once you have your list of underactive and overactive muscles, you can do something about them!\u00a0 For our underactive muscles, we’ve learned that they’re weak, so we need to make them stronger!\u00a0 For the abdominal complex, great exercises would be planks and side planks to strengthen the core for posture.\u00a0 For our overactive muscles, we need them to calm down and regain their proper extensibility.\u00a0 Good flexibility training will take care of this;\u00a0 and by “good,” I mean smart.\u00a0 Start by foam rolling the overactive muscle to decrease muscle spindle activity, and be sure to hold on the tender area for at least 30 seconds.\u00a0 (I’ll write a post soon about proper self myofascial release technique)\u00a0 Then, static stretch the muscle for at least 30 seconds.\u00a0 To improve muscle extensibility, you should engage in flexibility training 4 – 7 days per week.<\/p>\n And there’s your brief primer on muscle imbalances!\u00a0 If you have any questions, be sure to post them or Email us!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Resources<\/p>\n http:\/\/blog.nasm.org\/fitness\/the-effects-of-pronation-distortion-syndrome-and-solutions-for-injury-prevention\/<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.physio-pedia.com\/Lower_crossed_syndrome<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.dynamicchiropractic.com\/mpacms\/dc\/article.php?id=52178<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.usapowerlifting.com\/committees\/sportsmedicine\/hartle04.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n