11/13/2025
Meet Your Quadratus Lumborum (QL). Ever heard of it, maybe not?
This powerful deep core muscle works hard for you every single day!
Where is the QL?
It is in the lower back on each side of the spine. It connects the ribs to the pelvis. It is a key stabilizer for almost every movement of the body.
What does it do?
✨️ Helps w/ standing upright & maintains good posture
✨️ Bends you sideways
✨️ Lifts & hikes your hip up, (steping up onto a curb)
✨️Supports & stabilizes the pelvis & lumbar spine while walking
When the QL is tight or weak, what happens?
✨️Lower back pain
✨️Causes the hips to lift or tilt
✨️Uneven leg length
✨️SI joint discomfort
✨️ Pain that wraps around the hip or travels up the back
✨️Difficult to stand or walk for long periods of time
What aggravates the QL?
✨️Prolonged sitting
✨️Prolonged standing in one position
✨️Repetitive bending
✨️Lifting heavy or awkward objects
✨️Limping or over compensation from an injury
✨️Trauma, especially Motor vehicle accidents (MVA)
✨️Weak abdominal muscles, make the QL overwork - causes tension & adhesions
How to keep it healthy?
✨️Gentle stretching for the side body
✨️Strengthening deep core muscles
✨️Avoiding long periods of sitting
✨️Regular bodywork or massage
✨️Mindful movement, good body mechanics
Show your QL some love! ♥️❤️
If you struggle with lower back tightness or one-sided pain, your QL may be calling for help! Listen to your body, it's the only one you have!
Your Massage Therapist,
Tera Gatlin, LMT
