Lower Cross Syndrome

Last month we wrote about Upper Cross Syndrome. Now it’s time to talk about Lower Cross syndrome.

Like its cousin, Lower Cross Syndrome is a pattern of muscle tension and weakness. It’s focused around the pelvis, in contrast to the shoulder girdle. Tension in the lower back muscles and hip flexors pairs with weakness and lengthening of the abdominal and gluteal muscles. This in turn is associated with a posture featuring a deeper curve to the lower back as the pelvis tilts forwards.

Causes of Lower Cross Syndrome

Onset can follow pregnancy, as the posture and abdominal stretch are common as the bump grows. Carrying a young child can further exaggerate the posture.

Sedentary lifestyles, especially for people stuck at a desk or behind a wheel for hours every day, involve prolonged hip flexion. It can be hard to balance the time spent sitting on your own, but your osteopath can help here. Exercises will likely be helpful in the long term, even when your symptoms are under control. As long as you spend a lot of time sitting, it will benefit from balancing out.

Associated Aches and Pains

The deeper curve in the lower back can cause lower back pain, and particularly aggravate any existing joint issues like osteoarthritis.

Compensatory patterns through the hip, knee, and upper back can also cause aches and pains. Before you see your osteopath, you might just feel like you’re “falling apart” and wonder why all of these issues are happening at once. Fortunately, we have enough time in your first appointment to take a detailed history and examination to find all of the pieces of the puzzle. We expect to be able to start treatment in the first visit too.

Osteopathic Management for Lower Cross Syndrome

The overall aim with treatment is to rebalance the muscles and restore a comfortable posture. Depending on your exact case, the details of the plan will vary. But often, it will involve":

Osteopathic Treatment

Your osteopath will identify the specific pattern of tension and weakness that your body holds. With this information, they can use a combination of massage, stretching, manipulation and mobilisation to encourage the body back to better function.

Ergonomics

If your lower cross posture is encouraged by long periods of sitting, such as at a desk, that would be a key part of the management plan. Firstly, is there a change we can make that minimises hip flexion and lumbar extension? If a standing desk is possible (or even better, a sit to stand desk), that might solve part of the problem. Ultimately, any posture held for too long is a potential issue, so any changes you can make to fit movement breaks into your day would be helpful.

Strengthening and Stretching

Making postural changes is great, but to make them last, we need the weak muscles to be strong and the tight muscles to be long. A tailored routine of stretching and strengthening aims to rebalance the posture. We will look further afield than the lower back to hip and consider other structures that play a role in your symptoms.

Book in with one of our osteopaths here.