lumbar curve

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lumbar curve

My lower back does not curve completely when doing sit ups. I'm a US Soldier and required to do sit ups regularly so this is getting pretty annoying. Rather than curve nicely so that I can roll from the up to down position, my lower back stays straight when lowering down to the ground so that my upper back hits the ground with a thud. I completely lose the momentum needed to sit up again and continue with the exercise. Are there any stretches or exercises I can do to help my lower back curve more? Thanks!

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lumbar curve

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Jul 21, 2011
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sit ups
by: Anonymous

Like Mitch, I have the same issue, only I am a woman. I sit up on the movement and then fall to the ground like a tree being cut down. I've never had much curve to my back, especially the lower end. I can get out of bed in the morning and bend completely in half at the pelvic bone with almost no curve in my back and I am 40 years old. In fact, it hurts my chest at my solar plexus area when I try to curve my back.

I, too, get to deal with the military and it has been a bear of a career to improve my situps because of this. I have nearly maxed out the pushups and the run but without passing the situp portion to at least the minimums, the rest is useless.

I, too, would love some good tips how to develop curve in my back so I could develop a smooth situp flow rather than a lift and a crash. 14 years into the military and nobody has been able to help me increase by just a few. It has limited the opportunity to go to schools, get promotions, ect. It's time to make a change already and increase my sit up count.

Jun 17, 2011
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Fixing Lumbar Curve
by: Mitch - MTS

This can be a difficult area to fix on your own. But, typically this occurs when your pelvis rotates anteriorly and puts your lumbar spine into extreme extension. The usual causes for this are tight hip flexors and/or a weak core. Knowing you are military, I would guess that your core is somewhat stable (not a guarantee, but at least somewhat likely).

So, I would lean towards tight hip flexors. You can use an in line lunge stretch for the hip flexors to assist in this. It will will help some, but to really do it justice, you will also need to address your psoas up high where it attaches to the spine. This is not something you can typically do yourself. So, I would consider working with a therapist who is trained in massage and manual release of soft tissue.

While they're working on you, have them address your diaphragm (which is very likely tight and contributing). Also, make sure you stretch your quads and pecs. I would guess that you are very active and tight anteriorly and struggle with strength posteriorly (like most male athletes).

You also want to address your thoracic spine extension (see our pages on thoracic spine), as it has an impact on your lumbar spine.

To sum up, make sure you stretch everything anterior and strengthen posteriorly and you will likely make a difference in your lumbar extension.

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lumbar curve

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lumbar curve