Have you tried stretching your back muscles till the cows come home and still having back pain? Well,the reason may be due to the fact that the muscles you are stretching are not where the problem is coming from.
The pain can become chronic or recurring. Other painful symptoms may include,tingling,numbness or burning into the legs and/or groin area. Or you may only be experiencing pain in the back. You may also have difficulties,from getting up from a sitting position,difficulty getting out of bed,or walking with a hunched over posture.
In order to understand that the pain you are experiencing in your back may not be the “cause” of your pain,you need to understand some muscle anatomy and the action that particular muscle does. There are actually 2 parts to this muscle,psoas and the iliacus,hence iliopsoas.
The psoas is actually one of the hip flexor muscles. It connects from the low back vertebrae,down across the front of the hip to the femur or thigh bone. It is located mainly on the front of the pelvis (hip area). The psoas flexes and laterally (out to the side) rotates the thigh at the hip and flexes the spinal column.
The causes of pain are multiple and cumulative. When the psoas is in a constant state of flexion (tightness) it pulls on the spinal muscles which in turn may cause compression on the intervertebral discs. When in this constant state of contraction,the muscles become ischemic,(lack of blood flow) and become shortened over a period of time.
Activities to avoid when during a painful episode:
Standing squatting or sitting for long periods of time,sleeping awkward or on your stomach – pulling your knees to your chest. This will make your back worse by tightening the psoas muscle. It needs to relax. Oh,and of course any strengthening exercises as you will obviously not be able to do this while you’re in pain. (Strengthening is done last in a sequenced series of therapy sessions)
Although there are other muscles that contribute to low back pain,it is in my opinion the psoas is one of the main culprits of back pain.
Specialized manual therapy techniques from an experienced therapist with home therapeutic exercise in most cases will get you out of pain.
Here are some simple yet,effective stretches you can do at home.
Tips: Never stretch into pain but you may feel a slight discomfort,do not bounce. Make sure your body is warm such as walking/jogging in place for 5 minutes. The idea is to get the blood flowing and warm the muscles.
Psoas Stretch: Lunge forward with knee on padded mat. Position foot beyond forward knee. Place hands on knee. Straighten hip of rear leg by pushing hips forward. Hold stretch. Repeat with opposite side. Hold for 30 seconds 3 times each side.
Sitting Groin Stretch: Sit with your soles together. Bring your feet towards your groin,hold your ankles. Push your knees (gently) towards the ground with your elbows. Keep your back straight. Hold for 30 seconds 3 separate times.
Warnings:See your doctor o go to the emergency room if your pain is severe,if you lose control of your bladder or bowels or if you lose feeling or movement.
