Taming the MOST HATED Muscle in the Body: The Psoas

Summary

The script delves into the crucial yet often overlooked psoas muscle, highlighting its role in biomechanical functioning and injury prevention. It clarifies misconceptions about the psoas's impact on posture and explains its dual functionality of flexing and extending the spine. The video offers practical advice on psoas release, strengthening, and proper usage through exercises and mindful practices to enhance overall body mechanics and prevent dysfunction.

Takeaways

• 💪 The psoas muscle is crucial for the biomechanical functioning of the human body but is often overlooked and poorly understood due to its deep location in the core.
• 📍 The psoas starts at the lumbar spine and attaches to the inner femur, playing a key role in hip flexion by acting like an arm of the spine that pulls the leg bone up.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Beyond hip flexion, the psoas stabilizes the lower spine during standing and initiates each step during walking, making it essential for maintaining proper posture and movement.
• ❗ Dysfunction in the psoas can lead to widespread issues like hip pain, lumbar pain, and postural problems such as anterior or posterior pelvic tilt, and even functional scoliosis.
• 🔄 The psoas has both deep and superficial fibers, with the former capable of extending the spine and the latter causing flexion, adding complexity to its function and potential issues.
• 💥 Common issues with the psoas include it being either overly tight or weak, both of which can contribute to different variations of postural dysfunction.
• 🌬️ Deep diaphragmatic breathing can help release tension in the psoas due to its fascial connection to the diaphragm, providing relief from related pain and dysfunction.
• 🧘‍♂️ Incorporating stretches and strengthening exercises, like kneeling lunges and isometric stances, can help maintain psoas health and prevent dysfunction.
• 🧍‍♀️ Learning to use the psoas correctly in daily activities and postures, like in yoga or Tai Chi, is essential for long-term biomechanical health and preventing posture-related issues.
• 👟 Simple, mindful practices like initiating steps with the psoas can improve overall body mechanics, reduce energy expenditure during walking, and enhance movement efficiency.

Q & A

What is the psoas muscle and why is it considered important for biomechanical functioning of the human body?

The psoas muscle is a deep core muscle that starts near the top of the lumbar spine and moves down over the pelvis, attaching to the inner portion of the femur. It is considered important because it plays a crucial role in stabilizing the lower spine during standing and initiating steps during walking, and its dysfunction can lead to systemic compensations affecting the entire body.

Why is the psoas muscle often misunderstood and poorly trained?

The psoas muscle is often misunderstood and poorly trained because it is located deep inside the core and cannot be observed from the outside, leading many people to be unaware of its existence and importance.

What are the common symptoms of psoas problems?

Common symptoms of psoas problems include popping or painful hips, lumbar pain, SI joint pain, or general stiffness in the low back and hips.

How does the psoas muscle contribute to both anterior and posterior pelvic tilts?

The confusion arises because the psoas has two distinct sets of fibers, deep and superficial, which attach to different structures on the vertebrae, slightly changing their angle of pull. This results in the superficial fibers causing flexion of the lumbar spine and hips, while the deep fibers can extend the spine when contracted, leading to both anterior and posterior pelvic tilts.

What is the primary function of the psoas muscle in a naturally healthy body?

While hip flexion is a powerful function of the psoas, its primary function is to stabilize the lower spine during standing and initiate each step and maintain the rhythm of walking.

How can a tight or weak psoas muscle affect walking and overall biomechanics?

If the psoas is tight, weak, or out of sync, most people will initiate walking with the rectus femoris muscle of the quads, leading to a stiffer, less graceful walking pattern that uses more energy and causes more dysfunctional muscle compensations throughout the body.

What are some methods to release the psoas muscle and why are they beneficial?

Methods to release the psoas include deep diaphragmatic breathing, manual release by a therapist, or self-release using a blunt object like a lacrosse ball or a psoas release tool. These methods are beneficial as they help address excess tension, improve movement, and provide relief for pain.

How can strengthening and stretching the psoas muscle be achieved?

Strengthening and stretching the psoas can be achieved through exercises that bring you to or past 90° of hip flexion, such as kneeling lunge stretches, and isometric stances like warrior poses in yoga or the bow stance in kung fu.

What is the importance of learning how to use the psoas muscle correctly?

Learning how to use the psoas correctly is important because muscles don't move on their own; it is the voluntary actions that cause them to move. Correct use can prevent the re-development of pelvic tilt and associated issues unless new habits are learned.

How can incorporating psoas-focused exercises into daily habits improve overall biomechanics?

Incorporating psoas-focused exercises into daily habits can help maintain the muscle's health, improve posture, and ensure biomechanics are problem-free by reinforcing habits of neutral pelvic and spinal posture through standing, moving, and breathing.

What are some physical traditions or systems that emphasize the importance of psoas muscle health?

Physical traditions and systems such as yoga, with poses like the mountain pose, and Tai Chi, with its wuji (wu chi) stance and walking techniques, place great importance on learning to relax the psoas and maintaining a neutral pelvic and spinal posture.