MOBILIZE & STRETCH – ILIOPSOAS
NOTE: If you are injured you must see a Rehabilitation Professional. Nothing on this website is a substitute for that.
ANATOMY
MOBILIZATION – MASSAGE – ROLLING – STRETCH
- MASSAGE BALLS: Soft Road Hockey Ball, Doggie Ball from Dollar Store, Baseball, Softball. Use softer versions without laces. Put 1 or 2 in a long sock and tie a knot.
- 3 Videos – Massage & Roll . Physios, Chiros
- 1 Video – Stretch & Mobility – Stuart McGill
- 7 Videos – Stretch & Mobility . Physios, Chiros
Why is the Psoas Constantly Contracted during Prolonged Periods of Stress? – Healthy Street
ANATOMY
– The are the only muscles that connect your spine to your legs
– They affect your posture and help to stabilise your spine
– Because they are major flexors, weak psoas muscles can cause many of the surrounding muscles to compensate and become overused
– That is why a tight or overstretched psoas muscle could be the cause of many or your aches and pains, including low back and pelvic pain
THE PSOAS AND FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE
– The psoas muscles support your internal organs and work like hydraulic pumps allowing blood and lymph to be pushed in and out of your cells.
– Your psoas muscles are vital not only to your structural well-being, but also to your psychological well-being because of their connection to your breath.
– Here’s why: there are two tendons for the diaphragm (the Crura) that extend down and connect to the spine alongside where the psoas muscles attach. One of the ligaments (medial arcuate) wraps around the top of each psoas.
– Also, the diaphragm and the psoas muscles are connected through fascia that also connects the other hip muscles.
– These connections between the psoas muscle and the diaphragm literally connect your ability to walk and breathe, and also how you respond to fear and excitement.
– That’s because, when you are startled or under stress, your psoas contracts
– In other words, your psoas has a direct influence on your fight or flight response!
– During prolonged periods of stress, your psoas is constantly contracted. The same contraction occurs when you:
sit for long periods of time
engage in excessive running or walking
sleep in the fetal position
do a lot of sit-ups
GETTING YOUR PSOAS BACK IN BALANCE
Avoid sitting for extended periods
Add support to your car seat
Try Resistance Flexibility exercises
Get a professional massage
Release stress and past traumas
Stretch
HOW TO STRETCH
– Use a foam roller for this passive, relaxing stretch that lengthens your psoas, one of your deep hip flexors.
1. Place the roller perpendicular to your spine and lie with your sacrum (the back of your pelvis) — not your spine — on the roller.
2. Pull your left knee toward your chest, keeping your right heel on the ground. You should feel a stretch on the front of your right hip.
3. To increase the stretch, reach your right arm over your head and open your left knee slightly out to the left.
– Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs. Repeat as needed
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