Core & Spine — Self Care Manual

Core & Spine

Pelvis, Glutes & Core

Picture the externally rotated leg columns continuing up through the thorax. Everything posterior gets pulled toward the midline; everything anterior gets pushed away from it.

The pelvis in this pattern is in an anterior tilt — imagine a bowl of water pouring forward out of your pelvis. This anterior tilt typically comes with an externally rotated and underactive psoas muscle, spread-out and weakened abdominals, and on the back side, a compressed sacrum with tight glutes.

Gluteus Medius, Maximus, Minimus, and Piriformis — annotated release directions — Gluteus release technique: start high on the lateral hip, push to center (trap the tissue), then take it wide toward the top of the femur. Lift, reset to the sacrum attachment, repeat taking wide.

Gluteus and sacrum release — posterior view with annotated fascial directions — Posterior view: sacral border and deep glute release. Annotations show the medial-to-lateral sweep direction across the deep six rotators. The sacrotuberous ligament (bottom of sacrum) is a critical release point for the posterior chain.

Psoas and Rectus Abdominis balance and imbalance — lateral view — Lateral view: Rectus-Psoas balance (above) and imbalance (below). The psoas and rectus abdominis counterbalance each other — disruption of this balance drives anterior pelvic tilt.

Manual Release

Theracane Psoas Release

1
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2
Use the pointed end of the Theracane to sink into the lower abdomen, slightly lateral to the navel — this is where you can access the psoas through the abdominal wall.
3
Move from lateral to medial (because of the external rotation, the psoas needs to come toward the midline).
4
Find spots that feel dense or tender, make contact, hold until you feel some release, then move to the next spot.

Lacrosse Ball Theracane Glute Release

This is the single most impactful release technique for most people. Glute tension connects through fascial sheaths into the low back, so releasing the glutes often resolves low back pain directly.

1
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place the lacrosse ball under one side of your glutes. Start high on the lateral hip, rotating your body slightly to that side to sink your weight into the ball.
2
Work through the muscle belly, finding the most tender spots. Sink in fully and breathe.
3
Move toward the edge of the sacrum. Push into the glute max attachment, right at the border of the sacrum.
4
Once you feel release at the sacrum attachment, begin thinking about length — slowly drawing the tissue laterally (away from the sacrum), lengthening the glute max fibers.

Lacrosse Ball Deep Six Release

Beneath Gluteus Maximus and Minimus are six small external rotator muscles (the "deep six") — bands running essentially horizontally from the sacrum to the top of the femur. Releasing these is key to countering the external leg rotation pattern.

1
Starting with the ball near the sacrum edge, rotate your body to bring the ball from medial to lateral — sweeping toward the top of the femur.
2
As you reach the femur edge, you'll feel the muscles squeezing and lengthening over the bone. Hold here with the tension pulling lateral.
3
Lift up and reset the ball slightly superior or inferior. Repeat, always sweeping from medial to lateral — never pushing the tissue back inward.
4
Eventually you'll feel a crunchy or snapping sensation as tendons release and expand. This is a sign of meaningful release.

Percussion Device Abdomen

Use a percussion device over the entire abdomen in a clockwise direction (following the path of the large intestine) to stimulate digestion, circulation, and superficial fascial mobility.

Core & Spine

Low Back

The quadratus lumborum (QL) attaches from the bottom of the ribs to the top of the pelvis, bridging the low back. The thoracolumbar fascia — a dense fibrous sheet — and the base of the erector muscles also attach at the pelvis. For most cases of low back pain, start by releasing the glutes thoroughly, then move to the low back.

Spinal load forces — compression, tension, shear, torsion — Loads on spinal motion segments: compression (most common in poor posture), tension, shear, and torsion. Chronic compression from anterior pelvic tilt is the primary driver of low back pain.

Spinal disc — extension vs. hyperextension, herniated disc schema — Cartilaginous discs act as a bone-disc complex. Extension vs. hyperextension — with chronic flexion, anterior ligament compression leads to disc herniation (lower right).

Lumbar lordosis variations — flat vs. normal vs. increased curve — Lumbar lordosis variations: flat back (reduced lordosis) vs. normal lumbar curve vs. hyperlordosis (increased inward curve). The degree of lordosis directly affects disc loading and pain patterns.

Vertebral disc — ABC views showing compression and disc pressure zones — Intervertebral disc under load — ABC views showing how disc pressure distributes across postures. Flexion loads the posterior annulus; extension loads the anterior. Neutral posture minimizes harmful pressure concentration.

Fluid disc vs. herniated disc — stages of disc degeneration — Healthy hydrated disc (left) vs. compressed disc losing fluid height (center) vs. herniated disc with nucleus pulposus extruding through the annulus fibrosus (right). Dehydration accelerates this progression.

Schema of a herniated disc — lateral view — Schema of a herniated disc — under chronic flexion, fluid seeps through weakened ligament fibers. The disc must become uniformly thick again before pain resolves.

Intervertebral disc components — nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus, end plates — Intervertebral disc anatomy: nucleus pulposus (gel center), annulus fibrosus (fibrous outer rings), and cartilaginous end plates. The annulus outer layers contain pain-sensitive nerve fibers — once they are breached, disc pain becomes acute.

Safe lifting — avoid loaded lumbar flexion — Safe lifting: avoid "loaded" lumbar flexion. Keep the spine straight and flex at the hip and knee joints only. Loaded lumbar flexion is the primary cause of disc herniation.

Manual Release

Lacrosse Ball SI Joint Release

1
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat. Place the lacrosse ball underneath your low back, just above the SI joint (sacroiliac joint) and lateral to the spine.
2
Lift the same-side leg and bring the knee toward your chest, flexing the hip. Use the same-side arm to stabilize the knee, directing weight into the ball beneath you.
3
Relax the low back into the ball and breathe — allow the pelvis to rock gently into a slight anterior tilt.
4
Once you have depth, alternate between tensing the low back slightly (posterior tilt) and releasing into anterior — working the pelvis gently through its range while the ball provides sustained pressure.
5
Adjust the knee and leg angle to explore different pressure angles on the low back.

Theracane QL / Low Back Release

1
In the same position (lying on back, knees up), lift your body slightly and place the rounded hook of the Theracane beneath you, lateral to the spine above the SI joint.
2
Lower your body weight onto the cane. Use the handle leverage to pull the tissue away from the midline — lateral and slightly inferior (toward the heels).
3
The Theracane also allows you to reach the opposite side by extending the hook further beneath you.

Key Direction: Inferior

The low back is compressed from the anterior pelvic tilt. Adding a posterior pelvic tilt while pressing the tissue inferior — toward the heels — helps counteract this compression and decompress the lumbar spine.

Core & Spine

Mid Back — Lumbodorsal Hinge

Just above the most concave point of the low back's inward curve (the lumbar lordosis) there is a region of compression. This is the Lumbodorsal Hinge (LDH). The exact location varies by person but is most commonly around T12 — approximately level with the bottom of the rib cage.

The LDH is the starting point for Qi Gong breathing and bodywave practices. Manual release of this area tends to create a cascade of relief through the entire back and hips.

LDH expansion diagram — supine view with occiput, 1st rib, 12th vertebra, pelvis landmarks — LDH expansion supine — four key structural landmarks: occiput/atlas, 1st rib, 12th vertebra (T12/LDH), and pelvis. Below: directional release vectors for each region.

LDH expansion diagram — standing view with postural correction arrows — LDH expansion standing — the same four landmarks applied in the upright position. The T12 pivot is the key to lengthening the torso: inferior traction on the pelvis and superior lift through the crown of the head simultaneously decompress the hinge.

Erector spinae muscles — annotated with lateral release directions — Erector spinae — three parallel columns flanking the spine. In LDH dysfunction they compress toward the midline. The corrective direction is lateral and slightly inferior, away from the spine.

Manual Release

Theracane Erector Release at LDH

The erector muscles run in three parallel columns alongside the entire spine. In the LDH area, they tend to be strongly contracted toward the midline with dense fascial build-up.

1
Lying on your back with knees bent, locate the bottom of your rib cage. Move the Theracane about 2 inches below this point.
2
Position the hook side directly next to the spine. Lower your body weight onto the cane.
3
Use the handles to pull the cane away from the midline — taking the erector tissue laterally.
4
Move the cane an inch lateral to land in the middle of the erector chain and repeat the lateral traction.

Core & Spine

Upper Back

Modern life calls for sustained hunching — driving, typing, texting, reading. The upper spine's natural outward curve is called the kyphotic arch. Chronic hunching increases this curve, shortening and weakening the upper back muscles. The corrective direction is to take these muscles back down and posterior — toward the heels and away from the hunch.

Upper back musculature — Trapezius, Rhomboids, Levator Scapulae, Infraspinatus, Teres, Latissimus Dorsi — Upper back muscles: superficial layer (trapezius, deltoid, infraspinatus fascia) and deeper layer (rhomboid minor/major, levator scapulae, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor/major).

Muscles involved in scapular movement — elevation, depression, abduction, adduction, upward and downward rotation — Muscles of scapular movement — elevation (upper trap, rhomboids, levator), depression (lower trap, serratus), abduction (serratus), adduction (trapezius, rhomboids), and rotation patterns.

Four Key Release Points

These four locations drive the most upper back pain and dysfunction:

Theracane Lower Rhomboid

The lower rhomboid frequently develops a NeuroMuscular Trigger Point (NMT) that refers pain down the arms, up and down the back, and into the head.

1
Against a wall or on the floor with the Theracane, locate the inferior angle (bottom tip) of the scapula with the hook end of the cane.
2
Move 1–2 inches medially (toward the spine) from that point — this places you on the lower rhomboid.
3
Explore until you find a particularly dense or tender spot. If you feel pain referring to distant areas, you've located an active NMT.
4
Anchor with the wall or floor and sink in slowly, taking the tissue slightly inferior. Hold until release occurs.

Theracane Levator Scapulae

The levator scapulae is likely the most common "knot" people are aware of in their body. Hunching lifts the shoulders toward the ears, and the levator is a primary driver of this motion.

1
Hook the Theracane over one shoulder. Locate where the levator attaches to the scapula — the superior medial corner (top-inner edge of the shoulder blade).
2
Move 2 inches superior (toward the ear) from this point.
3
Sink in and direct the tissue posteriorly and laterally — away from the neck, toward the back of the shoulder.

Theracane Lower Trapezius

The lower trapezius is often overstretched and underactivated with hunching. Target the lower fibers running diagonally from the mid-thoracic spine toward the scapula, taking tissue inferior and lateral.

Theracane Erectors at C7/T1

At the junction of the neck and upper back (C7/T1 — the prominent vertebra at the base of the neck), the erectors tend to compact and compress. Use the Theracane to sink into tissue just lateral to this junction and take it inferiorly.

Core & Spine

Rib Cage & Sides

The bottom of the anterior (front) rib cage generally lines up with the LDH on the back. As a consequence of LDH compression and external rotation of the erectors, the front ribs tend to flare open. Addressing rib flare improves breathing, core stability, and thoracic mobility.

Treatment

Rib Flare Correction

1
With open palms, contact both sides of the opposite rib cage.
2
Gently draw the ribs closer together as you breathe into the mid-back.
3
Combine with chin tuck and a subtle posterior pelvic tilt to create space through the mid-back.

Fingers Rectus Sheath / Side Body Expansion

The rectus sheath is a large fascial area on the front of the abdomen connecting the sternum to the pelvis. Just inferior and lateral to the nipples, this sheath tends to be pulled toward the midline.

1
With your fingers, contact the opposite side of the rib cage at this area.
2
Sink in gently and draw the tissue superiorly and laterally — toward the opposite armpit.

Fingers Serratus Anterior

The serratus anterior runs diagonally along the sides of the rib cage (you can see it as the finger-like muscles along the side of the ribs in athletic individuals). Take this tissue inferiorly to create more space through the side body.

Fingers Rib Separation

1
Find spots along the sides of the rib cage where there is very little space between the ribs.
2
Take a deep breath.
3
As you inhale, use a few fingers to slowly sink between the ribs, encouraging them to separate.