Lumbar Extension Syndrome

Lumbar Extension Syndrome – 2nd most common diagnosis

Common Medical Diagnoses:

• Spinal Stenosis
• Degenerative Disk Disease
• Spondylolisthesis
• Herniated Disk
• Osteoarthritis of the Spine

Description:
Low back pain that may or may not radiate into both legs (sometimes only 1 leg).  This pain is aggravated when the spine is straighter or bent backwards (increased lordosis).
Diagnostic Tests:

• Bending forward may relieve symptoms when standing up from bending forward will increase symptoms.
• Lying flat with the legs extended is more painful than lying flat with the knees bent or are pulled to the chest.
• Lying flat on your stomach is painful.
• Increased lumbar lordosis with bending a knee in prone or lifting the entire leg in prone with pain.
• Rocking backward in quadruped improves symptoms while rocking forward increases symptoms.
• Arching the back while sitting increases symptoms while slumping the back while sitting decreases symptoms.
• Flattening the back against a wall in standing decreases symptoms.

Treatment:

• Improve the mobility of the hip flexors and latissimus dorsi while stabilizing with the abdominal muscles.
• Improve the activation and strength of the gluteus maximus and abdominals.
• Change positions in sitting, standing, and walking to attempt to decrease lumbar extension.