A short animated video of Psoas action can be viewed here.
Image courtesy of: giselaguarneros
UPDATE: Don’t forget to read Part 2: Psoas Muscle Release Technique – very effective passive method.
These are only a few facts helping to understand the importance of this muscle.
- Short unreleased Psoas will affect your posture and gait. And good posture matters.
- More specifically, your pelvis will be tilted forward, back muscles will be tight in effort to keep your spine erect, and abs will never be fully activated (reciprocal inhibition).
- You’ll never activate and fully engage your glutes because it will be inhibited by Psoas (reciprocal inhibition).
- Chronic back pain because of compressed discs.
Check 2 awesome articles written by Katy Bowman here and here.
I’ve done more sitting in the last 6 days than I have in the last 3 months combined. My body is letting me know that this is not okay.
The psoas is a muscle that, when functioning optimally makes the world glow just a little brighter. Sitting makes the psoas about three inches shorter than it should be. And when the psoas ain’t happy, the pelvic floor, the hips, and the spine aren’t happy either.
There are 2 practical things from these articles as to releasing Psoas muscle.
- Passive stretch as in the first article.
- More active stretch as in the second.
Some videos which I found useful for Psoas release.
Passive release.
Good mix of different techniques. All in one video.
Psoas muscle release by Dr.Berg
Interesting technique with the use of Trigger Point Back Massager
In future posts – muscle which is no less important comparing to Psoas. Stay tuned…
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