Anatomy and biomechanics of quadratus lumborum
One article on PainSci cites Phillips 2008: Massage Therapy for Low Back Pain
PainSci notes on Phillips 2008:
A cadaver study of the anatomy of the quadratus lumborum; the researchers make a reasonable inference from structure that “quadratus lumborum has no more than a modest action on the lumbar spine,” but of course “its actual role in spinal biomechanics has still to be determined.”
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Various actions on the lumbar spine have been attributed to quadratus lumborum, but they have not been substantiated by quantitative data. The present study was undertaken to determine the magnitude of forces and moments that quadratus lumborum could exert on the lumbar spine. The fascicular anatomy of quadratus lumborum was studied in six embalmed cadavers. For each fascicle, the sites of attachment, orientation, and physiological cross-sectional area were determined. The fascicular anatomy varied considerably, between sides and between specimens, with respect to the number of fascicles, their prevalence, and their sizes. Approximately half of the fascicles act on the twelfth rib, and the rest act on the lumbar spine. The more consistently present fascicles were incorporated, as force-equivalents, into a model of quadratus lumborum in order to determine its possible actions. The magnitudes of the compression forces exerted by quadratus lumborum on the lumbar spine, the extensor moment, and the lateral bending moment, were each no greater than 10 per cent of those exerted by erector spinae and multifidus. These data indicate that quadratus lumborum has no more than a modest action on the lumbar spine, in quantitative terms. Its actual role in spinal biomechanics has still to be determined.
related content
- “Quantitative intramuscular myoelectric activity of quadratus lumborum during a wide variety of tasks,” McGill et al, Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 1996.
- “EMG activities of the quadratus lumborum and erector spinae muscles during flexion-relaxation and other motor tasks,” Andersson et al, Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 1996.
- “Heterotopic ossification of the quadratus lumborum muscle,” Alport et al, J Radiol Case Rep, 2014.
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- Characteristics of patients with low back and leg pain seeking treatment in primary care: baseline results from the ATLAS cohort study. Konstantinou 2015 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Kuyken 2022 Evid Based Ment Health.