Hi,
I’ve had a lot of people ask me about low back pain, and I’ve been sending them to the forum message that explains each of the muscles that cause low back pain, hip pain, groin pain, knee pain, sciatica and tight hamstrings. I thought it would be helpful to re-post it here so anyone who hasn’t read about the muscles that cause this list of pains.
So many people have asked for the Julstro Protocol for pain from their low back to their calves that I’m posting it here, along with the lengthy explanation of why your iliopsoas, quadriceps, and quadratus lumborum are key to this long list of symptoms.
Low back, hip (TFL), groin, tight hamstrings, knee pain, chronic calf spasms, as well as tight lateral rotators and sciatica, are all frequently caused by a muscle most people don’t know they have, it’s called the iliopsoas. The iliopsoas is actually a two part muscle, it is the psoas which originates on your anterior lumbar vertebrae, passes along the inside of your pelvis (hip bones), and the iliacus which originates along the inside curve of your pelvis, then merges with the psoas and then the iliopsoas inserts into the top/inside of your thigh bone
When the iliopsoas contracts you either bend over, lift your leg to take a step, or you sit down. The muscle is actually contracted about 95% of a person’s life because it is even contracted when we sleep (unless you keep your trunk and legs perfectly straight while you are sleeping). The muscle shortens and this causes your pelvis to rotate forward and down. While this is happening, your quadriceps (thigh muscle) needs to shorten or it is too long to straighten your leg out from the bent position. The now-shorter quadriceps will continue the tug on the front of your pelvis, and you now have two muscles pulling your pelvis down in the front.
As your anterior pelvis is moving down, your pubic bone is moving backward (putting a lot of pressure on the groin muscles) and the posterior pelvis is moving UP. At the top of your posterior pelvis is a muscle called quadratus lumborum (QL for short). The QL originates on your 12th thoracic rib and runs along your lumbar vertebrae before inserting into the top of your posterior pelvis. When the QL contracts normally you lift your pelvis up in the back so your leg can move at the hip joint. However, when the pelvis has moved the bone up in the back your QL had to contract or it was too long to do the job. Then, when you try to sit down the QL is now too short to stretch and you feel pain at your lumbar spine and also along the top of your pelvis. You now have the iliopsoas pulling down on your low back when you stand, and your QL pulling down on your low back when you sit – you can’t find anyplace that doesn’t hurt.
As the pelvis is rotating, your TFL, gluteus minimus and medius, and the six deep lateral rotator muscles that move your leg so it turns out from your body, are all getting a torque in the fibers, and they are overstretching This will cause them to be very tight, although the tightness isn’t coming from them shortening due to spasms, but instead from the lengthening due to the pull placed on them as your pelvis rotates. As this is happening they do go into a spasm, so now you are dealing with a muscle that has spasms and is also being overstretched.
Another thing that is happening when your iliopsoas is contracted is the pelvis rotation puts pressure on your hamstrings (probably already tight because they are responsible for bending your leg and are also repetitively strained) and it also puts pressure onto your sciatic nerve and low back.
The hamstrings are most likely already tight and in spasm because they are responsible for bending your leg, and are also repetitively strained. The tight hamstrings will cause pain at the back of your knee and at the very top of your leg, where they originate on your posterior pelvis. You may have problems putting your legs down flat on the floor and you think you need to stretch your hamstrings, it is very important that you do not stretch them until after you have released all of the other muscles first so your pelvis has moved back where it belongs and it is not longer being overstretched. To stretch your hamstrings prior to releasing the pelvis rotation will further overstretch the fibers, and you could potentially tear the hamstrings or even cause them to sever from the bone.
Putting direct pressure on the various muscles that rotate your pelvis will release the tension on the pelvis, and therefore release the tension on the muscles and insertion points at the different joints.
The protocol has been successful at treating so many conditions from your low back to your feet that I suggest you try it to resolve your issues.
Wishing you well,
Julie