05/17/2019
Sore back, shoulders and knees are common complaints of people who lead a full and active live. Let’s face it, there are many occupations that are not kind to muscles.
In most cases, one of the major common denominators of these problems is imbalance in a muscle group known as the Iliopsoas aka Psoas Major, Psoas Minor and Iliacus muscles.
These are the hip flexor muscles and extend from along the side of the spine from about mid-torso down to the base of the spine then across the front of the hips to the top of the leg.
Because Iliopsoas muscles flex the hip, they contract every time you walk, run, jog, climb, sit or bend. Think about how much and how often this happens every day!
They are also postural muscles – in other words, they help hold you upright while you are standing and sitting – and are designed to take a lot of hard work and punishment before they ever feel sore.
But that does not mean they are not tight. If they are, they can put all sorts of uneven pressures on the hip.
They are quite substantial muscles and pull the front of the hips downwards, causing muscles in the lower back and along the spine to tighten as the back of the hips tilt up (hence the back pain).
Among these lower back muscles is the Quadratus Lumborum from the top of the hip on an angle to the spine. It acts like guy ropes for the spine, helping to stabilise it and keep it balanced.
If the Psoas muscles from one side of the spine pull tighter than the other, it tilts one side of the hips higher, putting uneven pressures along the back of the spine and on several major leg muscles which go across the hips and knee joint.
Because the Iliopsoas group can cause tightness in muscles controlling flexibility of the spine (including Quadratus Lumborum), they also can have a big impact on shoulder muscles.
When you start to raise your arm above your shoulders, at about 150 degrees the shoulder blade begins to rotate upwards and the spine flexes to accommodate this.
If the spine is too rigid from tight muscles, then the muscles moving the shoulder blades need to work harder and can fatigue or become sore.
Pain in your back, shoulders or knees is usually due to tight or strained muscles in those areas but, in fact, it is often the hip flexors that have caused those muscles to be tight in the first place.
Hopefully from the above, you will agree the reason for muscle and joint pain is not always what it seems and that the therapist should look at the bigger picture to give you the most effective treatment.
A good tip if you’re ringing around to find a massage therapist is to ask, “Can you do a Psoas (pronounced so-as) Release?”
A qualified and competent therapist will know straight away what you are referring to.
