A to Z Blogging Challenge: Q is for Quadratus Lumborum (the Reading and Writing Muscle)

 Q is for Quadratus Lumborum

If there's anything I've learned from all of the moving we've done over the years, it has to be: Quit expecting the back to do more than its fair share of the work. Lift with the legs. Don't carry more weight than you're capable of lifting without straining those back muscles. If you're like me, those muscles are probably weak anyway.

Take the quadratus lumborum (QL) for example. It connects the pelvis to the spine, adding stability to both regions. Its most important function is to hike the hip or laterally tilt it. I sure gave mine a workout this past weekend. We have steps from the parking area up to the house, and there are more steps leading to the bedrooms upstairs.

Can you guess what most of the heaviest boxes contained? Yes, I'd bet my books could outnumber Imelda Marcos' pairs of shoes. Do you think owning a Kindle would help? Fortunately, for this move, SAM hired a local moving company to do most of the heavy lifting. Now I just have to arrange the contents of the boxes among various bookcases located throughout the new place. That's no small task, I'll have you know. 

The QL has some hefty tasks of its own to accomplish. Besides hiking the hips, when it shortens or contracts it's also helping you bend to one side or the other. It also helps keep that old back straight when you're sitting in front of the computer and typing away or in your easy chair reading a book. And, since part of it is attached to the last rib on each side, it keeps it from going all over the place when you're breathing in or exhaling forcefully, as in huffing and puffing up the stairs.

If I used it more for its primary action, hiking those hips, and did less of those other activities--except maybe breathing--I'd probably have a really buff quadratus lumborum.

In the meantime, while I'm waiting for it to win prizes in one of those bodybuilding contests, I'll keep it nice and supple with some stretching. I found some good ones here (click link).

Please see A to Z Blogging Challenge for links to more "Q's" from Challenge hosts and other writers.