PSOAS Muscle (Hip Flexors really)

OK so we've covered Lockdown Neck (see last email) to try alleviate some stress and strain problems there, and now we are looking at the role and issues surrounding Hip Flexors, or more specifically the Psoas Muscle to start with.

Why Deep Respect for the Psoas??
Because it happens to be the main connector of the leg to the torso. The only muscle that directly does this. Hugely important. It has a role in stabilising the lower back as it attaches deep into every segment of the lower back (Lumbar Spine), from right under the ribcage.* It also leverages the leg towards and away from the lower back. It is a very important stabiliser of the hip joint by drawing it into the socket, and it even has a role to play in pelvic floor function .......Impressive.

(*There aren't many muscles which have this direct local connection into the individual spinal segments, but one you might have also heard of is the Transverse Abdominus!)

Psoas can overwork, it can underwork and it can be troublesome. However no muscle ever works in isolation, always, always part of a team (or an orchestra as I like to think), and Psoas is part of the Hip Flexor team, so it might be useful to focus some brain cells on them as a group. (Psoas IS my favourite though...)

What Do Hip Flexors Do?
Basically they lift your leg up towards your torso, like in a knee fold movement or lifting one foot off the floor in standing. There are numerous muscles which lend themselves to this job, but the main ones in addition to the Psoas, would be your one of your Quadriceps/ Thigh muscles (Rectus Femoris in case you're interested), Tensor Fascia Lata (on side of pelvis and attached to that great big band - ITB - that is often tight on the outside of the leg), and some inner thigh muscles too...

WHY does the Psoas Muscle deserve extra attention then??
Because it goes deep and attaches to the backbone/spine. The other ones are more superficial and can often overwork. Which often manifests as tight thighs or gripping in the front of the hip...maybe on long sitting etc.

When Do My Hip Flexors Really Matter in a Pilates Workout?
Always - as long as your body is moving...
Lets consider a Roll Up
Start from sitting. To roll back successfully we need to open up the hip joints (lengthen Psoas and other Hip Flexors) to allow the pelvis to roll back away from the thighs.

We often hear the abdominals being blamed for any difficulty with successful movement. Your abs are very important, and help control your descent backwards, but its the fact that your legs are attached (via Psoas) to the individual segments of the lower back that determines smooth articulation..The abdominal muscles are good ..but lie superficial to the deep spine so cannot control spinal articulation.

Likewise other hip muscles are featuring in this exercise but none of them attach to individual spinal segments.
It is the release and timely controlled lengthening of the combined Psoas/Hip flexors which decides whether the pelvis rolls and lower back imprint (or flattening of the back) is achieved. (Re Psoas - think of a big piece of elastic from the top of the leg and attaching to each segment of the lower back) Everything at the front of the hip has to ease off and slowly let go. If this doesn't happen the lower back can't melt into the floor, and the thighs might lift up. (Sometimes bent knees make this bit easier for some)

If the back fails to flatten you tend to roll up/down like a brick instead of articulating smoothly.

Coming up ...Yikes! we need to keep our legs down on floor as we articulate the spine. This requires stability and grounding of our lower back (through lengthening of Psoas). Then once past that we need to recruit our hip muscles at the front to help pull our bodies up and over the legs. Basically it's pretty tough for abdominal muscles and hip flexors. (If someone is holding onto our feet, its WAY easier as we have something to pull against!)

Body proportions and spinal flexibility definitely come into it. But it's being able to ground your lower back long enough to bring your head and shoulders up and over. Or else your hip flexors grab you at the front and you come up in a hinge with a grunt and momentum..and arms flying!!

All the Pilates exercises in a list below are a prep for the Roll Up! And a Roll up is necessary when we are lying on a beach and need to reach our suncream! Ahhh..those were the days!

Leg Slide
Knee folds progressing to Toe Taps.
Pelvic tip back (imprint)
Spine Curl
Cat
Seated C curve
Roll backs
Rolling like a Ball where we need to KEEP hip open as we roll! Or we roll like a flat tyre!
And lots more - think about it when practising!

Often there is an imbalance of muscles working around a joint, and Pilates is a very effective way to address this. As we mentioned in the Lockdown Neck discussion, to allow movement to occur, one set of muscles has to release to let movement occur. This releasing is often a great way to gain optimal control and stability. One reason the Hip Flexors might get a bit overworked in a shortened position is due to prolonged sitting.
This might lead to imbalance between the front and back of the legs, ie overworked at the front and under utilised at the back! Hip flexors versus Gluts. Never that simple, but in summary we often need to open the front of the hip more and engage the back of the hip more. By opening the front of the hips more we can gain range into Hip Extension (leg moving behind the body) which then gives us a much more effective Gluts contraction!!

How Might this Effect My Back?
Because the Psoas Muscle of this hip flexor team directly attaches to the lower spine, if we lack a lovely controlled lengthening ability it can drag our back into an arched position.

Think lying on back doing Toe Taps...as you lower your leg (which is heavy) your back wants to arch. What helps stop the back arching?? Abdominals! The better your Psoas is at lengthening with control , the less your abs have to do. As we get better at controlled leg lowering we can increase range, add load by lengthening the leg (increasing leverage), and deepen our control. This is why long lever leg movements are so challenging..esp when both legs long at one time in eg The Hundred..but we must modify position where needed to protect our backs. (And please shorten the leg/lever if get clunking or clicking at hip, which usually means the leverage is just too much for that hip joint.)

Also when lying on your tummy doing a leg lift..if your hip muscles are tight at the front, there is a limited range of leg lift you can do. So what do you do? Usually go to the next moveable place to get range ..which is your lower back! Same with Table Top leg lift. Same with walking ..the leg coming behind us is necessary for good 'bottom' muscle engagement, but can only happen if the front of the hip releases enough!
Confused?? Hope not!

Other Food for Thought
The Psoas draws the hip into the socket and this stability role is very important for eg.rehabilitation of a Total Hip Replacement.

Psoas connects very closely with the Diaphragm and plays a role in breathing ..

Also rumoured to be a muscle very linked to emotional stability, kidneys, adrenal health...it is a much debated muscle and there are many books about it! eg The Psoas Book by Liz Koch http://www.coreawareness.com ...think I have it in the studio somewhere! Katy Bowman, who I am a big fan of, also writes a lot about the Psoas amongst lots of other gems http://www.nutritiousmovement.com

Leave you with this...you think your leg starts at the groin area ..but really muscular control of your leg starts from just under your rib cage behind your Belly Button...think of that when you walk..super long legs..

NOW...don't even start me on the Pelvic Floor!!