Part Two - my recovery and how it began…
Now that you know the depths of despair I was in, I want to share how I believe this injury came about and what I have continually been learning through my yoga journey. Prior to getting pregnant I had been doing yoga and running for a few years. I was also working in an office and literally sat at a desk for a minimum 8 hours if not more. All of this, as we have learned through my post “Glutes – the big debate” contributes to lower cross syndrome, which most likely 80%, if not more, of American have.
What is Lower Crossed Syndrome?
picture credited to Darwinian Medicine
Lower-Crossed Syndrome (LCS) is also referred to as distal or pelvic crossed syndrome. In LCS, tightness of the thoracolumbar extensors on the dorsal side crosses with tightness of the iliopsoas and rectus femoris. Weakness of the deep abdominal muscles ventrally crosses with weakness of the gluteus maximus and medius. This pattern of imbalance creates joint dysfunction, particularly at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 segments, SI joint, and hip joint. (1)
So, what does this mean exactly? It means that there is a weakening and lengthening of the abdominals and gluteals and a tightening and shortening of the hip flexors and lower back muscles. LCS involves reciprocal inhibition, a process where muscles on one side of a joint are relaxing to accommodate contraction on the other side of that joint.
Causes
- Prolonged sitting, particularly with bad posture
- Physical inactivity
- Regular performance of sports and activities that involve an uneven stimulation of the muscles that are involved in LCS
- Poor exercise technique (e.g., lumbar hyperextension in the deadlift, press, and squat).
- Imbalanced strength training (e.g., a lot more lower back and/or hip flexor training than glute and/or abdominal training)
- Genetic predispositions
The development of LCS initiates a vicious cycle. Because the gluteals and abdominals are weak, their function is compromised, and other muscles such as the hamstrings and lower back muscles are recruited to assist them in performing activities such as walking, running, and squatting. This leads to overuse and tightness of the hamstrings and lower back muscles, and a further weakening of the abdominals and gluteals.
NOTE: The above is directly copied from Darwinian medicine – refer to article below for further in depth explanation.
Physical therapy cleared this up like a charm and if you have any of these symptoms I recommend seeing a sports MD. As I have always said I am not an expert or sports MD, I am simply sharing my experience and theory on my injury. As we know physical therapy did not heal my back injury as I had an additional injury of bulging/ herniated discs. How did this happen as a healthy 39-year-old who ate clean?
Finishing a 49ers race with my best time yet under 8.30 minutes / mile with my BFF Kathryn
Around 37 I started working out with a personal trainer and eventually built up to heavy weight lifting, deadlifting up to 125 lbs. and squatting up to 145 lbs. Now why in the world I ever thought this was healthy, who the hell knows! NOTE* this is not my trainers fault, he is an amazing guy and got me into great shape and I did have great form, but how could he know that my glutes were only activating at the top of my squat or deadlift and my core was weak? I had at this time dropped yoga from my exercise regime and was running 5/10ks and weight lifting only. Essentially there was no stretching or giving my muscles a break. I was also constantly traveling for work which resulted in even more sitting. I felt great, body fat % was at its lowest in my life = to a female athlete…who would have guessed what was coming. I think my body just broke with all the pressure of life and over exercising.
That Christmas right before the pain started - in the best shape of my life
No doctor knows why this happens (unless you have an accident that correlates directly to the injury) so my theory is it was a compilation of all of the above. So in late January of 2015, the pain started and I ignored it and thought it was a great work out. By April I was in tears and searching for a diagnosis. We all know the story from there. On a side note, it starts out as dull ache in your butt, typically on one side and is super annoying as hell.
SO – what happened to have me turn to yoga? Yoga is more than a great work out; it can heal your soul. That was / is what I am looking for. I was still in pain every time I attended class and starting chatting with a fellow yoga instructor Melissa Carison. She may not know it but SHE CHANGED MY LIFE. If you read this, please know I have tears in my eyes as I write this. Your simple time spent with me was so meaningful. Ok back to the story – Melissa works at a spine and back center. She quickly did an assessment of my glute activation and noticed that my hamstrings fired up before my glutes. She mentioned LCS. Both Melissa & my trainer recommended stretching daily to relieve my tight muscles. So I did stretches that I thought were most optional every day. It helped a little. (you’ll learn later what I was doing wrong) After chatting throughout the summer and fall about my back pain, my desperation most likely clear on my face, she was frank with me. She recommended that I not work out for a month, knowing this would drive me nuts, and do a series of Jane Fonda like glute exercises every day. She recommended looking at utube videos by Brent Contreas https://bretcontreras.com/. In a separate blog I will list my exact regime as this post is already getting long. Sure enough a month later my glutes were fired up and my pain was actually gone. Granted I had not done any rigorous form of exercise, but for the first time in 9 months I had no pain – mind boggling! Thank you again Melissa, because this is where my true yoga journey started.
I now wanted to know everything about anatomy and the muscles. So when I saw that a 100-hour yoga training was coming up on Anatomy and kinesiology – I was in. Also getting my yoga 200-hour certification was on my bucket list.
For what I learned I was doing wrong and how my first 100 hours – short version – continued to expand my mind, physical well-being and heart – stay tuned for part 3.
For now, a special thanks to Melissa Carison.
XOXO - Namaste
NOTE* Melissa is not a doctor nor claims to be, she is a caring person who felt for me and my pain.