One of the biggest causes of hip and back pain is the psoas muscle. These problems include but are not limited to lower back pain, sciatica, disc problems, knee pain, pelvic tilting, digestive problems, infertility, and menstruation pain. You could also experience scoliosis, a difference in the length of your legs, kyphosis, sacroiliac pain and accentuated lumbar lordosis.
What is the psoas muscle?
It is the main muscle that allows your spinal column and hips to flex and move. The psoas major muscle is one of the thickest, longest and larges muscles in the body measuring about 16 inches long. The psoas muscles in animals, is known as the tenderloin muscle. They travel from the lower spine starting at the 12th thoracic vertebrate. This muscle starts on the vertebral bodies and transverse processes of the lumbar vertebras and runs down and across the pelvis ending at lesser trochanter deep within the upper groin. The fibers of the psoas muscle combine with the iliacus muscle to form the iliopsoas. The iliacus muscle starts inside the pelvis and attaches to the femur with the psoas.
What is the function of the psoas muscle?
The amount of functions that the psoas muscle performs is astounding. The psoas is the major walking muscle since it works with the hip and thigh to allow it to flex. If you are sitting the psoas muscle stabilizes and gives your midsection or truck the balance it needs to continue to sit. When you see dancers perform graceful movements and football players running the field they are using the psoas muscle to be able to lift their knees. The psoas muscle helps stabilize the pelvis in a neutral position and allows it to maintain structural balance.
What are the most common pain symptoms of an irritated psoas muscle?
Prolonged sitting can cause the psoas muscle to become contracted. This contraction could alter the biomechanics of the lumbar vertebra, pelvis and hips. Even moderate contractions of the psoas can be responsible for pain that is down the front of the thigh and low back stiffness and pain.
How can chiropractic help?
Chiropractic treatments can help sooth and relieve the pain caused by a shortened psoas muscle in many ways. Often just having your back adjusted by a chiropractor will relieve your back and hip pain. There are also advanced massage techniques and home stretching methods that greatly decrease the tension on these muscles and provide significant lasting relief. This combination of treatments quickly relieves often stubborn cases of low back and hip pain.
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