Glutes and posture / back pain (an observation and a question)

[Ngaire]

Hi everyone,

I am currently experiencing fairly significant discomfort and muscle tightness in my mid thoracic spine and shoulder, rotator cuff and QL on the left side (lats/traps) which I am working on with the help of various ST stretches especially forward and backward bends, the neck series, spinal rotation and QL stretches. I also have a set of anti-gravity boots and bar and gymnastic bars coming and am working on creating a better fit "baby whale" (barrel to back bend over) as I find it really hard to hit the right spot.

Today I discovered that if I clench my glutes really hard then the pain relieves immediately. As soon as I relax it comes back. Like turning on and off a button. Amazing! Further observation revealed that clenching my bum makes my pelvis tip up, reduces the curve in my lumbar spine and makes my shoulders drop back and down a little and my upper back muscles relax. Even more amazing! Fortunately I stand with my back to the wall in a corner at work and I have a fully adjustable standing desk so I can do this without looking too odd.

Now I am wondering if perhaps as well as stretching my back I should focus on strengthening my bum (and loosening hip flexors?) If I clench my glutes too much, will I strain or over tighten other areas? Is it possible to strengthen/activate my glutes enough that I can achieve this posture naturally without such intense effort (which I can't keep up constantly - either I get tired or distracted). Finally, I am rather curious, can anyone shed any light on why this is happening? I understand glute strength/activation and pelvis position impact posture and when used correctly reduce back strain, but I thought this would occur over time. I'm surprised by the on/off (like a switch!) effect this is having on my pain.

By the way, a Physio, chiropractor, osteopath and GP have all advised the back pain is from muscle tension (described as "like rope" and "like reinforcing rods") caused by typing/desk work and my rotator cuff being strained as my shoulders roll forward a bit like "wings." I don't have a specific injury, more like constant throb and tightness.

I also have a patch around dinner plate sized on my thoracic spine, left side, where the skin feels "frozen" or numb to touch (like how hands feel on a very cold day without gloves and fingertips lose sensation).

Thank you!

Sorry my profile is "faceless" for now, pics on my phone are all too large to upload. I look forward to making my way through all of the excellent info on the threads (I have begun, but there is much to read and experiment with) and getting to know you all better, virtually.

Ngaire

[Ngaire]

Just realised I've posted this in the wrong place, but I can't see a delete button (using a phone) and am now hitting the sack. Apologies!

[Craig]

My go to response here would be to do practices that allows the resting tension of the hip flexors/psoas to be significantly reduced.  The partner HF stretches are the best place to start for this, there are a stack of variants on Kit's youtube channel as well as in the back bending mastery series, and DW has his own variation in his vimeo products, all worth looking into.

 

I personally do not think its a good idea to teach the body to "torque" itself into shape, you want to be as relaxed as possible in each posture. You will find great benefit from learning to strongly activate the glutes (in both the shortened position you described, as well as learning how to use them when they are lengthened for example in a deep squat), however you do not want your state to be "glutes are always on", this will just create more issues.  Better to have "glutes available to be used when necessary and rest in deeply relaxed state otherwise" as your default. There is a group called Foundation Training that teach this activation of the glutes/posterior chain quite effectively.

 

So, loosen HF, continue strengthening glutes but don't have them always on. Any more specific advise than this is a little hard to give online!

[Ngaire]

Thank you very much, this absolutely makes sense. I've always found it hard to activate my glutes and also have tight hip flexors. However I now feel like I know what the problem is which goes a long way to solving it. I will report back my progress in few weeks.

Thanks again.

Ngaire