I would like to introduce you to the most common muscles I work on during clinical visits with my patients. The main purpose is to show you how these muscles orient in your body, so that you can better understand that your pain may not just be “bone out of place,” but rather the result of muscle pulling at the painful point. 

What are the 3 Muscles Related to Low Back Pain

Paraspinals Muscles

The first muscle I would like to introduce is the paraspinals. The term paraspinal describes an group of muscles along the sides of the spine. They often stem from multiple sources: some muscles from the base of the skill to the pelvis, and others from the mid back down to the low back and into the pelvis. 

Just imagine a whip where the length of the whip can dictate how much force it needs to produce. The longer the muscle that connects from bone to bone, the more tension it has, which can cause a pulling effect.

One of the paraspinal muscles is the iliocostalis, which runs along the spine. It becomes tight and forms knots in individuals who slouch or use an improper way to bend for day-to-day tasks. 

Gluteus Muscles

The second muscle I would like to go over is the gluteus. The gluteus muscle is referred to as the buttock muscle. The gluteus muscles help stabilise the core, hips, and knees. For long periods of sitting, it can lead to glute amnesia, causing other muscles around the glutes to compensate and help support the pelvis. 

When testing the gluteus muscles in the clinic setting, I have noticed that during hip extension, glute amnesia occurs: the paraspinals fire first, then the glutes.  When this phenomenon occurs, walking and playing sports can intensify lower back tightness from overcompensation of the paraspinals to help stabilise the lower back due to a lack of glute engagement. 

Quadratus Lumborum 

The last muscle that I would like to go over is the quadratus lumborum. For reference, this muscle is one of the deepest layers of the body and lies right behind the kidneys. Quadratus lumborum connects multiple points in the low back, ribs, and pelvis, which can complicate pain sensation. This muscle often becomes tense and painful during sudden turns when the core is not braced.

Patient may feel achy/sharp pain travel to the top of their buttock and potentially down the outer aspect of the thigh. They often feel like they need to apply deep hand pressure to their lower back region to provoke back pain. Sometimes breathing may intensify the low back pain, too.

Conclusion

I share these three muscles because they are among the most commonly affected and are treated when patients consult me for low back pain. I hope this helps bring awareness of the interconnection of muscle groups and how they pull at the bony spots, and not just the joint restriction and needing to get constant adjustments. Working on posture and regular exercise is paramount to reducing soft-tissue tension.

If you are currently experiencing low back pain and need solutions, you can also check out my website to book your first chiropractic consultation and treatment. 

I also have resources on my YouTube channel, Dr Leo Chou Chiropractor, where I demonstrate exercises for core and glute strengthening. You can go on over there and check it out as well. I hope you find this post informative. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me.