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Injured Psoas muscle??
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Rich
Aug 11, 04 10:10
Post #1 of 13 (4266 views)
I have been having pretty bad low back pain for about three months. It started when I was in the final stages of training for a June marathon. Doesn't seem to be training related though. I went from running a lot and swimming a little to swimming a lot and not running much at all (consistently not biking much at all) with no real change in symptoms. Sitting for long periods aggravates it and driving/flying long distances makes it really bad.

I went to a PT who told me that my right soaz muscle is screwed up which has allowed my pelvis to get out of alignment which in turn caused my low back pain. He gave me some exercises to do (lay on my back with legs 24" off the ground, bring my legs in/up until I'm in kind the "down" position for crunches, if that makes sense, same thing to the sides, 3 x 10 of each). I have been doing them some, though less than I probably should. They have helped a little but the problem is far from resolved.

Questions:

1. Has anyone had a similar issue? What did you do for it? How long did it take to resolve?

2. To those who haven't experienced this but have a PT/chiro/medical background, does this diagnosis make sense? If so, what is the prognosis and course of treatment?


________________________________________________

Anyone who tells you they're as fast now as they were when they were 18...
sure wasn't very fast when they were 18.
Last edited by: Rich: Aug 11, 04 11:21
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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skip
Aug 11, 04 10:23
Post #2 of 13 (4251 views)
The diagnosis makes sense but I'm not sure I understand the prescription - it sounds like a strengthening exercise for the Psoas
(also known as hip flexor) which might just make it tighter - what you may really need to do is stretch it out (release it). Tight psoas definitely will cause low back problems. A good massage therapist can help release it, although it's not fun (feels kind of like someone jamming a tire lever into your kidney). Other useful movements might be press ups, modifed warrior I pose in yoga, standing quadirceps stretch. You want to open up your hip angle. Ice (front and back) might also be helpful. Keep your adductors stretched out as well. Attacking it from the other side, you can work on strengthening the low back so the psoas is not so dominant (eg. superman pose on the ground where you raise one arm and the opposite leg a few inches off the ground) - be cautious though. Disclaimer - I am not qualified to dispense advice such as the above, I've just suffered similar problems in the past. Best move would probably be to find another therapist.
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [skip] [ In reply to ]
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jhc
Aug 11, 04 10:32
Post #3 of 13 (4243 views)
Plus a tight psaos would make for a chewy filet mignon if you were a cow...
_______________________________________________
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [skip] [ In reply to ]
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Rich
Aug 11, 04 10:38
Post #4 of 13 (4231 views)
I forgot to say that the PT told me to use heat to release it. (Like with the exercises, I have done this a little but very sporadically.) I think his recommendation was "use heat to release it as much as you can, then come back to me in 2 or 3 days, I will release it the rest of the way with massage and then I will start you on exercises." He made the mistake of showing me the exercise so I figured "I can take care of this myself" and didn't go back. Instead, I started myself on a haphazard regimen of heat and exercises, doing both less than I should have and probably in the wrong order. Now that it is clear that ostrich defense/DIY isn't going to work, I guess I need to start getting serious about fixing what's wrong.

Help me out with the terminology: Is the psoas the same muscle I am misspelling as "soaz" or is it something different? Is it the same muscle laypeople call the hip flexor or is that something different as well?


________________________________________________

Anyone who tells you they're as fast now as they were when they were 18...
sure wasn't very fast when they were 18.
Last edited by: Rich: Aug 11, 04 10:41
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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skip
Aug 11, 04 10:44
Post #5 of 13 (4218 views)
Yes, same muscle - Psoas is the correct spelling, and yes it's a hip flexor - see

http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/Hip_flexors.htm

Sounds like your PT was on the right track and as you said you just jumped the gun.
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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dutchess
Aug 11, 04 11:13
Post #6 of 13 (4197 views)
Rich,

No way to know without seeing you, but based on your description it sounds like your pelvis may indeed be "out of allignment." USUALLY this is a result of some sort of trauma(fall, car wreck, stepped in a hole) that causes either a rotation or upslip(or combination) of one of your "hip bones." Although a muscle imbalance may be involved(tight psoas or quadratus lumborum), many times it is as simple as "straightening out" your pelvis. A PT trained in assesing and treating this can help you out. They are difficult to find in the US.
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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Tom Demerly
Aug 11, 04 11:16
Post #7 of 13 (4189 views)
Psoas?
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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mpl201
Aug 11, 04 12:44
Post #8 of 13 (4146 views)
Get some ART treatments asap. Freeing up adhesions in the psoas muscles is part of every session I have, and I go once/twice every single week during the heavy training part of my season. Having a desk job generally aggravates the problem, as sitting shortens the psoas and triggers the pain-related spasms.

http://activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp

-Mike
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Re: Injured Soaz muscle?? [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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docfuel
Aug 11, 04 13:04
Post #9 of 13 (4135 views)
Or is it So' ass, in Texas. (sore ass).
_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.
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Re: Injured Psoas muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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cerveloguy
Aug 11, 04 13:16
Post #10 of 13 (4129 views)
." Has anyone had a similar issue? What did you do for it? How long did it take to resolve? "

Psoas muscle problems are quite common. Just had someone leave my chiro office with this same problem about five minutes ago. In her case it also involved a torsioned pelvis and a sacro-iliac joint problem. She also had a leg length discrepancy because of this. I can't tell you exactly what is causing your psoas problem without examining you.

Try the PT's exercises for awhile and if they don't work find a good chiro in your area.
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Re: Injured Psoas muscle?? [cerveloguy] [ In reply to ]
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Monk
Aug 11, 04 14:24
Post #11 of 13 (4101 views)
I got a psoas too! I also got psolegs from runnin' and psoahms from swimmin'!
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Re: Injured Psoas muscle?? [Rich] [ In reply to ]
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reggiedog
Aug 12, 04 4:55
Post #12 of 13 (4062 views)
also try the stretch in the book "Pain Free Triathlete"

I second the A.R.T. referral as well.
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Re: Injured Psoas muscle?? [reggiedog] [ In reply to ]
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NJbiker
Aug 12, 04 6:47
Post #13 of 13 (4037 views)
Had/have this problem. Comes back from time to time if I don't stretch. Pain free triathlete has some self therapies that work.

You can loosen it up while sitting, lean over a little and dig your elbow into the psoas region, you will feel it when you hit the right spot. You can do the same think on your side with a tennis ball.

Best bet is to find a good PT/MT/Chiro (ART) to work out the kinks and show you some home treatments.

Andrew
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