I have found the stretches on this site very effective.

http://www.floota.com/PsoasStretch1.html




Good luck

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Graham Wilson
USAT Level III Elite Coach
http://www.thewilsongroup.biz

yep, that one.

It will make you say horrible things the first few times you do it though. It feels great, in a painful kind of way.

I know its not stretch, but soaking in Epson salt along with stretching has really helped me..

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I *heart* weak, dumb ass people...

  
3 words; Bikram Hot Yoga

Make sure you stretch Rectus Femoris too, you'll rarely get one tight and not the other as they both flex the hip. RecFem also spans two joints so plays a big roll in knee tracking and ITB health- which if you've has a few overuse injuries is what screams to me.

Just google rectus femoris and iliopsoas stretches, just be sure to tuck your tail bone under (posteriorly rotating your pelvis) whilst doing it to get the full effect.

As above - it's satisfying in a painful kinda way but hey, we're triathletes right!? So maybe it's satisfying in a triathlon kinda way.

What are the symptoms of a tight psoas?

I sometimes get the feeling when on the bike that my left side is pulling more than my right when pushing hard up hills etc... someonme mentioned it could be a tight psoas? I also notice that after I have been for a swim and jump straight on my bike I get a similar feeling.

Thanks

Lie down on the edge of something (high enough that when one leg is hanging off, it doesn't touch the floor- the edge of the bed works). With one leg hanging off the edge, gradually pull the opposite knee towards your chest with both hands letting gravity gently stretch the psoas. Don't force the stretch...just let gravity do the work. Hope that helps...works for me.

Your psoas (hip flexor) is just tightening up to protect for the decreased function of your hip extensors (hamstrings/ glutes, etc). Your posas is contracting more to protect for the instability that has been created.

Statically stretching the psoas will only fight this protective mechanism and create more instability. You need to improve the function of the glutes/hamstrings by doing gentle isometrics into hip extension and knee flexion. When these muscles improve their ability to contract, the psoas will naturally "relax" more and not feel so tight.

If you don't do this and continue to force the hip extension, even if your psoas feels temporarily better, it will lead to further injury maybe even in a different areas b/c now there will be other areas of compensation.

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I had an injury to my ankle a couple years ago that changed my gait leading to injury of my upper hamstring that resulted in all the compensatory issues you mention - adductors shut down, glutes inhibited, inner quads tight, ITB soreness, etc. I am just about out of the woods through alot of PT, strengthening glutes medius + minimus, loosing up calves + adductors, rolling quads, etc. but the left psoas still is tight when I swim or ride long in the aero position. Its kind of like its lost it elasticity from being in a shortened state for so long.

This week my PT gave me a basic stretch that seems to be helping: basically a lunge stretch but the knee of the back (stretching) leg is planted so you can focus on the lower psoas, then raise your arm on that side up and reach over your head sideways. If definitely targets the area that is tight, will see over the next couple weeks if it clears up the issue. If it doesn't we also talked about doing dry needling of the psoas - I'd be interested if anyone has had that done and what the result was.

Find an ART provider who is certified in spine. ART has a very effective psoas protocol. Only the providers who received the spinal certification will know how to do it. It is VERY effective at loosening up the psoas and hip flexors. If your psoas is very tight and/or has trigger points it will be excruciating for the first treatment but will not hurt much after and the next day your stride will feel longer and your range of motion improved.

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http://www.mountainmettle.com

Musclemechanic it sounds like you're describing a back bridge to activate the glute's? I've dealt with these issues for 3years now. Stretching hamstring hasn't helped, psoas stretches relieves back pain but you're saying the psoas is a symptom not the root so relief will be temporary. Can you please expand on you're post? What you are saying makes sense and could be very helpful.

Thanks
Mike

There are several that are difficult to describe without being there in person.

One that can be effective is lying on your side parallel to a wall, couch, bed, etc. facing away from wall. With affected leg on top, bend knee to 90 degrees, keep tibia and femur parallel to the floor. Push back into extension of hip pushing heel "into" the wall. You need to position yourself just far enough from the wall that when you reach maximum hip extension (just hip, not much lumbar motion or "pelvic tilt") your heel hits the wall.

Once you are in this position, use about 10% of your strength pushing into the wall with your heel/foot. push straight back. hold isometric for 8 seconds or so. Repeat about 3 times. Increase the intensity to about 20% and then after 3 more, do 3 at 30%.

Repeat this exercise a few times a day and before you run. Do this to activate to Glutes and "relax" the Psoas.

Just a follow up on the use of the basic stretch I got from my PT (see previous post). Short story is that it is quite simple but has really worked. I have been doing it 2 x 30 seconds on each side a couple times a day and I am now symptom free. Everyone is different, but if you are having the issue I was having I'd suggest trying this for a couple weeks and see if it helps.

Thanks mm and js! JS, you and I follow the same threads regarding back and hammie issues. Our symptoms and the modalities we've attempted are identical. I'm hoping this puts an end to the nightmare.

http://www.floota.com/PsoasStretch2.html

"Kneel on the ground, one foot planted, one foot back, like you’re going to be knighted by the Queen."

Well, THAT's a little sexist, dontcha think?

As a surfer & skateboarder, I've got all sorts of wobbly hip issues; thanks for the link

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Good luck + stay postive - there is light at the end of the tunnel. Last weekend I was able to do my first 100 mile ride in 3 years and this morning I ran 11.5 pain free miles. In retrospect I think a good way to look at it is: 1) Identify the underlying cause(s) (look for weak muscles opposite the tight ones) and break out of the bad movement patterns we have developed as a result; 2) get the right therapies/PT/stretching/strengthening expercises to undo the damage we have done by training through things when we should have stopped; while 3) giving it time to heal (lengthen and then strengthen) which takes more time than most of us have patience for. Process took a long time for me because I had the deadly combo of not getting good medical guidance and stubbornly training when I should have been resting more. Again, good luck with ending the nightmare + have a great season.

You can try post isometric release for it. You'll need a sturdy surface (like a massage table.. or couch as mentioned in the link) and a friend who won't hit you in the danger zone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOdyRbRUWK4

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If my body isn't strong enough... I hope my wallet will be.

The only thing that worked 100% for me was ART. Gone in 3 sessions.

Most people have tight hip flexors - too much sitting down or crunched up. Google: Thomas Test


+1 yep, feels great

Psoas update? So it's been 3 weeks since trying to conquer my back issues by zeroing in on the psoas. Amazingly the pain that has lingered for the past 12 months centralized in the sacrum disappeared after 3 days. However I then seemed to have developed a problem with the QL and glute med. (doing glutr work as well) so stretched and had some ART and laid off the swimming for a bit, problem solved...for a bit. Some more psoas stretching for good measure and wham! can't even lift mt leg off the floor when lying prone. Excruciating pain when adducting, coughing, rolling over. 2sessions with the chiro, some electric stim and deep tissue have helped but will need a few more days of rest and beer to resolve.

So, the take away? Psoas and probably weak glutes was the root of the problem but too aggressively stretching just created another issue, hopefully temporary. I've spent 2 years doing McKenzies ( and everything else imaginable) which relieved pain in the low back for an hour or two each time, probably from the slight psoas stretch it provided rather than the inward pressure placed on a supposed bulging disc.

Keeping the hips strong, aligned and flexible, especially after hitting 50, seems to be the key to longevity in our sport

ART has helped, I have chronic issues with the psoas , hip flexor and ( spelling ) piraformas. Also a good Acupuncturist has helped a lot. But the best and most effective solution for me has been a technique called " shorten and lengthen". The therapist holds you is a postion that shorten and relaxes the muscle for about a minute then slowly lengthens the muscle by moving you, very important not to help, but let them do all the work. This seems to 'reboot" the muscle. "everyday we learn"

SP

Do you have any you tube videos of this... I really cant picture it! Many thanks

Any update?

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"No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody"~ST Post