What is the PSOAS muscle? There are actually two PSOAS muscles, the major and the minor. There are 3 significant muscles that connect your spine to your leg--the gluteus maximus, piriformis and you guessed it--the psoas muscles. What does the PSOAS do exactly? You can thank these muscles for allowing you to stand and walk upright as well as helping you walk (Source: spine-health.com). If you've ever heard of the term, "core muscle," this is what the PSOAS is! Consider it an important hip muscle and part of the hip flexors group.

What is a "Tight PSOAS"?

Muscle "tightness" might feel like you have trouble moving normally or you might feel pain, too. Symptoms of a tight psoas include: restriction in your hip socket; chronic back pain and tension in your lower back, hips, groin or pelvis. Aside from the obvious negative symptoms like pain, having a tight psoas might lead to poor posture, restricted breathing, scoliosis, difficulty standing straight and lower spine stress fracture (source: https://www.stack.com/a/psoas-muscle).

 

What can cause a tight psoas? Sitting for extending periods of time can cause your muscles to become tight. That's why it's important to periodically get up, move and stretch. Overuse or injury can also contribute to a tight or shortened muscle.  Check out these psoas and hip flexor stretches and exercises from Berkeley Wellness.

 

If you think you are having pain issues due to your hip muscles or psoas, please contact us. Everett Spine and Rehab's massage therapists can both do PSOAS muscle relief techniques.