Does your back feel hunched and your stomach protrude? Let's talk about Lower Crossed Syndrome!

Have you ever noticed that after a while, someone who works in an office chair, watches TV, or sits on a computer for a long time starts to get a little back pain? If you don't pay attention to it at first, but this pain gradually increases, and even when you stand, your back just bends inward and your stomach seems to be coming forward, you may have a condition called Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS). Don't worry, this is more of a posture problem than a disease. Let's talk about this simply.

Simply put, what is Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS)?

Think of our spine, hips, and surrounding muscles as a system that works together. This system needs to be in perfect balance. Lower Crossed Syndrome is when this balance is lost .

Simply put, some muscle groups in our body become too tight and overactive. Meanwhile, other muscle groups that should be working against them become weak and underactive. This is called "Crossed Syndrome" because these tight and weak muscles are arranged in a crisscross pattern, like the letter 'X'.

This imbalance causes our pelvis to tilt forward, causing our back to curve inward and our stomach and buttocks to protrude outward.

Why is this happening to us? What is the main reason?

The main reason for this is staying in the same position, especially sitting, for hours at a time . This is what we call a "Sedentary Lifestyle". Think about these things:

• Office job: Sitting in a chair in front of a computer for most of the day.
• Driving: Driving a vehicle in traffic jams for hours.
• Education: Sitting in the same position for long periods of time in school or tuition classes.
• Hobbies: Spending more time at home watching TV, using the phone, and playing computer games.

When we sit, our hip flexors are often tight and shortened. Meanwhile, our glutes become weak because we don't use them. Over time, this becomes a habit, which leads to LCS.

Do you also have these symptoms?

The main and most common symptom is a long-lasting, dull pain in the lower back . If you also have these symptoms, it could be LCS.

• When standing, the back appears to be arched unnecessarily.
• Even though I'm not overweight, my stomach looks like it's protruding forward.
• The buttocks are visible protruding backwards (some also call this the "duck pose").
• Sometimes, pain can occur in the hips, knees, and back.
• Back pain increases when standing for a long time or walking.

How does a doctor find this?

The first thing a doctor will do is check your posture. He can get an idea of ​​this by looking at the way you stand and walk. Then, he can do some simple tests to confirm the imbalance in these muscles.

Overhead Squat Test

In this, you are asked to squat with your arms straight above your head. They then check to see if your back is arching unnecessarily or if your body is leaning forward too much.

Single-Leg Squat Test

You are asked to stand on one leg and squat. You can then detect muscle weakness by looking at whether the knee is bent inward or the body is tilted to the side.

Push-up test

When you do a push-up, you look to see if your back sags or your hips sink to the floor. This is a clear indication of weakness in the abdominal and buttock muscles.

How do you treat and exercise this?

The best treatment for this is proper exercise . More than medication, it is important to improve posture. This should be done in two stages.

Stage 1: Release the tight muscles

The first thing you need to do is to "relax" those muscles that are too tight and shortened. You can use a `Foam Roller` for this. When you place the painful muscle on it and roll it repeatedly, the tightness will decrease. Then you need to do stretching exercises related to those muscles.

Phase 2: Strengthen weak muscles

After relaxing the tight muscles, you need to awaken and strengthen the weak muscles that were "sleeping."

Here are some simple exercises that will help with this:

How can you avoid this situation?

"Prevention is better than cure," they say. So to avoid this LCS condition, add these simple things to your daily life.

• Change positions frequently: If you are sitting in a chair, get up at least once an hour and walk around a bit, giving your body a little stretch.
• Standing Desk: If possible, use a standing desk instead of a sitting desk at work.
• Correct posture: Practice keeping your back straight when sitting and standing.
• Regular exercise: Do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, such as walking, running, or swimming. Especially core and glute strengthening exercises, at least two to three days a week.

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