Massage & Bodywork

JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2022

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L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 25 VIDEO: "THE DEEP MUSCLES OF THE SPINE!" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Watch! Like two married Hollywood movie stars who suffer because they spend most of their time apart, these two are more like a dysfunctional marriage than you might think. of this relationship is they exist in the most centrally core part of our physical bodies. So, the irritations and frustrations that arise from these two not getting along become problematic on a much deeper level. Low-back pain is an epidemic that is chronically blamed on the QL. This fact, coupled with the general confusion and prevalent trepidation around working with the psoas, has clouded the work that can be amazingly effective in this area. The knowledge that they share a signifi cant layer of fascia yet confl ict in what they are trying to do is an invaluable piece of information you can start using to your advantage. Think about this: The QL is working tirelessly to hold us upright, to straighten our spines from a bent position, to hike our hips up while we walk, and to hold our rib cage in place when we breathe deeply. At the same time, the psoas is cinching us into a seated position, pulling our legs up so we can rest one ankle on the opposite knee, and slowly becoming accustomed to short spurts of slight activation when we drive. These are clearly oversimplifi ed examples, but the idea is this—the QL tends to work tirelessly. The psoas commonly doesn't pull its weight. And the codependent relationship that has evolved is toxic and needs an intervention. GETTING TO WORK Accessing where these muscles converge is the key. With your client prone on the table, thoroughly warm up the thoracolumbar aponeurosis and the erector spinae group. As you start to sink deep to these, and into the lateral aspect of the QL, continue to slide anteriorly until you can palpate the convergence of where the QL meets the psoas. Once you are there, have your client create slight posterior and anterior pelvic tilts. This might be tricky for them to grasp, so try asking them to push their low back into the table and then lift their belly up away from the table. Remember that these movements do not need to be grand, just enough to get the muscles to engage. Have your client repeat these subtle movements and you will start to home in on where the QL ends and where the psoas begins. You will also gain a greater awareness of how well they are, or are not, communicating with each other. And, most importantly, you will begin to shine a light on what exactly is going on for your client. Perhaps the QL is overbearing. Perhaps the psoas is shy. Perhaps they have lost their way and just need to fi nd each other again. In any case, you have opened a line of connection that has been lost, and that, my friends, is the beginning to healing for any wounded relationship. Allison Denney is a certifi ed massage therapist and certifi ed YouTuber. You can fi nd her massage tutorials at YouTube.com/RebelMassage. She is also passionate about creating products that are kind, simple, and productive for therapists to use in their practices. Her products, along with access to her blog and CE opportunities, can be found at rebelmassage.com.

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