Lower Back Hurting? Stretching this muscle could change things! The Quadratus Lumborum muscle attaches from the top of your iliac crest up to your 12thrib on each side. 
It gets tight by laying on 1 side primarily when you sleep. It gets tight simply from sitting. If you tend to lean toward one side when driving or working at your desk or sitting in your recliner or on the couch…you most likely have a very tight QL (quadratus lumborum) muscle and it NEEDS TO BE STRETCHED. I work on these a lot with people who have chronic nagging lower back pain or pain that refers into the top or middle of the buttocks/hip area. It’s important to know how to stretch these muscles daily so that you don’t continue to have the same issues.
We talk often here at Clearview about awareness of our posture during any activity, and anything you do repetitively whether that’s your job or the way you sleep or sit, you will notice massive benefits when you begin to stretch on a daily basis. Surprisingly, as much as foam rollers are beneficial for many muscle groups, the QL is NOT one of those muscles you can foam roll because you’ll end up injuring or making your lower ribs sore. This creates a whole other issue!
The video below is a great explanation of how to stretch this muscle properly. **This is not an endorsement of the practitioner or company sponsoring the video. It’s merely a useful video in explaining our current topic of Quadratus Lumborum stretching.**