Day 151 of 365 - Just Psoas You Know

No, that's not a typo, it's just a play on words.  I'll be writing today about the Psoas muscle.  In case you are not familiar with it, it's the one you feel stretched when you do a lunge and then lean back a bit.  You'll feel it at the front of your hip.

The Psoas is a long skinny muscle, but it's unusual in that it's attached at both the front and back of the body.  If it is tight you could feel it as discomfort in front of your hip, or, you could also feel it as low back pain.

Mine tends to get tight on the right side.  It's on my mind more at present because a friend who also has issues with her psoas, recently shared some exercises with me to work on releasing, and stretching it as well as strengthening the muscles nearby.

Because of where it's attached, the Psoas connects your torso and your leg.  It is the only muscle (one on each side) which connects your spine to your leg.  You use it while you are sitting, when you get up to stand and when you are moving around.  When it is either tight or overstretched, the muscles nearby jump in to help, overcompensating and causing discomfort.

The Psoas is also closely connected to the diaphragm and your ability to breathe as you walk or run.  It is an important aspect of our human evolution to standing on two legs and is also connected to our 'fight/flight' reactions and our ability to quickly get up and run away from danger.

This muscle gets tight either from being too sedentary, such as sitting for long periods in front of a computer, or from being too active, such as running or walking a lot.  Because it can cause the hip to 'lock' tightly in front, you may even feel discomfort in your knee related to a tight Psoas.

Here are some tips for keeping your Psoas muscles happy.

  • Avoid sitting for extended periods. (I'm guilty of this one!)
  • Add support to your car seat, either under your sit bones or, behind your low back.
  • Alternate exercise routines.
  • Try resistance flexibility exercises.
  • Get a massage to release both the psoas and the myofascial tissue around it.
  • Rest flat on the floor, knees bent, feet flat on floor for 20 minutes each day, just sinking into gravity.
  • Release stress in whatever healthy way works best for you.
  • Do a series of cat/cow yoga poses and follow by relaxing into child's pose.
If you know your Psoas is particularly tight or overstretched, you can get more specific exercises from a personal trainer, physiotherapist, massage therapist or other body worker.  Once it becomes a more than occasional problem it is unlikely to improve on it's own.  Since it affects so much of our movement and posture it is well worthwhile giving it some TLC.






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