Do you stand with your toes pointed out?? or Do you suffer from chronic low back pain??

You most probably have tight psoas muscle. Having a tight psoas is a very common problem.

A tight psoas muscle can cause you to have back pain, back spasms, functional leg length discrepancy and walking with a toes
pointed out.

We first need to understand the psoas muscle.

What is the psoas muscle?

The psoas muscle, formally called the psoas major, is a very important core muscle. The psoas attaches the lumbar
vertebrae to the lesser trochanter, near the head of the femur.

The psoas muscle is grouped together with the iliacus muscle which originates from the ilium of the pelvis, and together
they’re referred to as the iliopsoas. Due to its location deep within the core of the body, the psoas is difficult to feel with your hands and to sense internally.

What does the psoas muscle do?

The psoas muscle performs several important actions:

1. The psoas combined with the ilium (iliopsoas) is a strong hip flexor, so when it contracts it brings the knee in toward the stomach. If you spend a lot of time sitting, your psoas is likely tight as a result of spending so much time in a shortened state.

2. The psoas laterally rotates the hip, allowing you to stand like a ballet dancer with your feet pointed outward. Dancers often have a great deal of tightness in their psoas muscle.

3. The psoas adducts the hip, bringing the leg in toward the center of the body. If you squeeze your knees together, you’re
engaging your adductors.

4. Because of its attachments to the lumbar vertebrae, the psoas muscle contributes to lateral tilting of the pelvis (hiking the hips up one at a time) and lateral flexion of the spine (bending the spine to one side).

What are the symptoms of a tight psoas muscle?

You may have heard of “iliopsoas syndrome.” That’s just a convenient way to refer to the symptoms that often result from
chronic tightness in the psoas:

• Tension and pain in the lower back, hips, buttocks, pelvis, or groin
•  Lower back spasms
•  Snapping hip syndrome
•  Radiating pain down the leg
•  Sciatica
•  Lumbar disc problems
•  Limping
•  Functional leg length discrepancy
•  Idiopathic scoliosis
•  Hyperlordosis
•  Instability in the core of the body
•  Limited flexibility in the lower back

A tight psoas will pull the low back vertebrae down and forward which results in an overarching of the lumbar spine. The result will be low back and pelvic pain and stiffness. Without addressing this, it can eventually lead to arthritis in the lumbar facet joints. Moreover, it can cause harmful and unwanted imbalances.

Why does the psoas muscle get tight?

From office workers to professional athletes, have some chronic tightness in their psoas muscle. In addition to overuse (like athletic training) and limited movement (like sitting down all day),due to its location deep within the core of the body, the psoas muscle instinctively tightens up when we feel stress or fear.

How to fix my tight psoas muscle?

Your physiotherapist will assess the severity of the tightness and focuses on reducing symptoms and correcting posture. An
appropriate treatment plan will be developed which will include relaxing tight musculature using passive and active stretching technique and Muscle energy technique (MET) and strengthening weak muscles. Modalities will be used if required. A majority of patients show an immediate decrease in there symptoms and are well on the road to recovery in 4 to 6 weeks.
If it sounds like you are suffering from tight psoas, come see us at HOPE Physiotherapy Clinic for an appointment and we can get you on the road to recovery.