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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 29 Releasing a hypertonic rectus femoris and using the rectus femoris to level and align innominates has a profound balancing effect on the torsional forces arising through the pelvis in clients presenting with lower crossed syndromes. In addition, the daily practice of deep squatting can extend the outcomes clients experience during sessions. Soon, inhibited muscles return to full function, breaking the strain cycle. Notes 1. Witold Rybczynski, Now I Sit Me Down: From Klismos to Plastic Chair: A Natural History (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2017). 2. Simon Mays, The Archaeology of Human Bones, 3rd ed. (Oxfordshire, England: Routledge, 2021). 3. Mays, The Archaeology of Human Bones. 4. A. Wu et al. "Global Low Back Pain Prevalence and Years Lived with Disability from 1990 to 2017: Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017," Annals of Translational Medicine 8, no. 6 (2020). 5. V. Janda, C. Frank, and C. Liebenson, in Evaluation of Muscular Imbalance. Rehabilitation of the Spine: A Practitioner's Manual, 2nd ed., ed. Craig Liebenson (Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006): Chapter 10. Erik Dalton, PhD, is the executive director of the Freedom from Pain Institute. Educated in massage, osteopathy, and Rolfi ng, he has maintained a practice in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for more than three decades. For more information, visit erikdalton.com. CLIENT HOMEWORK: GET TO KNOW SQUAT In a deep squat, the legs and feet are externally rotated and spaced about shoulder-width apart. The feet remain f lat on the ground as the coccyx falls between the ankles, dropping the body's weight down through the medial arches. The torso is straight. The chest lifts as the shoulders roll back and down. The low back rounds slightly. Relaxed thighs rest on the calves while the fingertips rest on the f loor or the knees (Image 5). This position strengthens typically weak, inhibited muscles, including the tibialis anterior, peroneals, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings. As gravity pulls the buttocks down between the legs, and the erectors, lumbar fascia, latissimus, and multifidus stretch, a significant stretch occurs in the rectus femoris muscles due to the knee-f lexed position, even with moderate trunk f lexion. You won't recommend deep squatting to every client, as some have preexisting ankle or knee conditions that present challenges or dangers. Similarly, we don't want clients to force themselves into a deep squat. Instead, they should work toward a deep squat by holding onto the edge of a countertop to lower into position. Remind your clients to hinge at the hips and sit back as if they are sitting in a chair while keeping their chest up and their core engaged. To come out of a squat, the client should push through their feet and activate their core as they return to a standing position. As their strength, balance, and f lexibility improve, clients can drop into position without support, assume a deeper squat, and strive to perfect their form. Clients might spend 10 minutes a day working on their squat or break up periods of sitting with deep squatting throughout the day. TECHNIQUE 5 VIDEO: "THREE TECHNIQUES FOR MOBILIZING THE HIPS" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Watch! A deep squat strengthens weak, inhibited muscles, including the tibialis anterior, peroneals, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings.