Lower Back Pain: The Psoas, the Quadratus Lumborum and Why Your Back Will Not Let Go
Two muscles behind most low back pain
The psoas runs from the lumbar vertebrae, through the pelvis, to the top of the thigh bone. It is the muscle that lifts the leg and it is the muscle that shortens when you sit. In spasm it pulls the lumbar spine forward into an arch and compresses the discs from the front; the back aches, standing up straight after sitting is hard, and the pain sits deep, in front of the spine, where nothing on the surface reaches it. The quadratus lumborum runs from the pelvis to the lowest rib and lumbar spine on each side. In spasm on one side it hitches that hip up and pulls the spine sideways; the pain is one-sided, just above the pelvis, and worse standing on that leg.
Why treating the back does not fix it
Massage, heat and stretching on the back itself treat the muscles that are compensating, not the one in spasm. The psoas lies behind the abdominal contents and has to be reached through the belly. Modality 13 releases it directly, hand on the muscle, until the lumbar spine is no longer being pulled forward. Modality 14 releases the quadratus lumborum from the side, between the rib and the pelvis. Clients often stand up from the table taller than they came in, because the pull that was shortening one side of the trunk is gone.
What else the psoas affects
A psoas in spasm sits against the bowel and the pelvic floor, and clients with chronic low back pain often also have constipation, bloating or pelvic tension. The navel release (Modality 12) and pelvic floor release (Modality 28) are frequently done in the same course of work. Sciatica and hip pain are commonly downstream: the psoas tilts the pelvis, the gluteals and piriformis take up the slack and pinch the sciatic nerve.
The order of work
Source first, then around it. Release the psoas and quadratus lumborum, then the gluteals and hamstrings that were compensating, then come back to check the low back once the chain has let go. That order is what makes the release last.
When to see a physician
Back pain with fever, unexplained weight loss, loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the saddle area needs medical evaluation first.
The Releasology modality for this
Modality 13 · Lower back pain: psoas release. Read what the release relieves, the FAQ, and the free preview lesson on that page.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does my back hurt more after sitting?
Sitting shortens the psoas. After long enough it holds that shortened length as spasm, and standing up pulls the lumbar spine against it. Releasing the psoas is what lets you stand up straight again.
Why is my pain only on one side?
That is the quadratus lumborum pattern: one side in spasm hitches the hip and pulls the spine sideways. Modality 14 releases it.
Can this help a bulging disc?
Releasing the psoas takes the forward compression off the lumbar discs. Many clients with a disc finding get relief because the muscle pull, not the disc itself, was producing the pain.
Releasology is hands-on muscle release taught and practised in Los Gatos, California by Royal Jacobs and certified practitioners. It is not medical diagnosis or treatment. Book a session or see all 78 conditions.
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