The hidden cause of lower back pain

The psoas muscle is a very deep muscle that connects your torso to your legs.  It affects your posture and helps you to stabilise your spine.    In fact, whether you run, bike, dance, practice yoga, or just hang out on your couch, your psoas muscles are involved.

A person suffering from IlioPsoas syndrome may have pain in the hip and thigh region, as well as hip stiffness and in some cases a clicking or snapping hip.

Other signs which may indicate an unhappy psoas muscle are:

  1. Knee pain – if there is no obvious source then it may be your psoas muscle.
  2. Constipation – a tight psoas muscle can cause or contribute to constipation.
  3. Menstrual cramps – a tight psoas muscle can put pressure on reproductive organs contributing to menstrual cramps.

The reason thatthe psoas is often the hidden cause of lower back pain in our clients is that prolonged periods of sitting cause the psoas muscle to contract.   A deep tissue or sports massage is the perfect way to release a tight psoas.

Related Posts

  • What is good standing posture?

    We all know we need to maintain good posture, but what exactly is good standing posture? Good standing posture When standing, keep these tips in mind:

    • Keep your shoulders back and relaxed.
    • Pull in your abdomen.
    • Keep your feet about hip distance apart.
    • Balance your weight evenly on both feet.
    • Let your hands hang naturally at your sides.
    Try not to tilt your head forward, backward or sideways, and make sure your knees are relaxed — not locked.

    Take the wall test

    To test your standing posture, take the wall test. Stand with your head, shoulder blades and buttocks touching a wall, and have your heels about 2 to 4 inches (about 5 to 10 centimeters) away from the wall. Reach back and slide your hand behind the curve in your lower back, with your palm flat against the wall. Ideally, you'll feel about one hand's thickness of space between your back and the wall. If there's too much space, tighten your abdominal muscles to flatten the curve in your back. If there's too little space, arch your back so that your hand fits comfortably behind you. Walk away from the wall while maintaining this posture. Keep it up throughout your daily activities.

    Check out your reflection

    To see if you're keeping your shoulders straight, stand in front of a mirror. Aim to keep your shoulders square and relaxed.

    It all adds up

    Although good posture should be natural, you might feel wooden or stiff at first if you've forgotten the sensation of standing up straight. The key is to practice good posture all the time.  Remember its never to late to start practicing good posture.  

  • Oops I did it again?

    In clinic we frequently see clients who had an issue with either their neck or shoulder or their lower back that was resolved then a few weeks or months later they are back with the same issue.  So why does this happen?  First, it depends upon the client, as human body is unique and the issue. What I want to explain below are some influencing factors: Posture – Because lots of clients come to us in pain, when they walk out of clinic they are very vigilant about their posture.  When they start to feel like the issue has been resolved good posture becomes less of a priority.  More importantly bad posture creeps up on us slowly – particularly slumping at you desk when you have a tight deadline! Over training – One of the most common questions we get asked, is when “will I be able to go to the gym again?” – clients are always very eager to get back training.  If you are unable to train for a while, you need to gentle easy yourself back into training.  Over training is when the physical trauma from exercising occurs faster than the body can repair the damage. Overuse – An overuse injury typically stems from: training errors. Training errors can occur when you take on too much physical activity too quickly i.e. when you are training for a marathon you build up your distance and speed too quickly.

  • Why do we sometimes recommend longer treatments?

    In my last blog article, I explained the benefits including scientific evidence from a 15 minute Seated Acupressure Massage.   So if 15 minutes has all these benefits, why do we offer 30 minute treatments and why do we sometimes recommend them? Quite simply, its based on experience.  I find that some clients start to notice their neck & shoulder loosing mobility and their level of muscular tension increasing but they are too busy to book in.  Frequently we find that people leave it 3 weeks before they book in or sometimes up to a month, by which time the knots have multiplied and grown!!! The 15 minute treatment is designed to nip things in the bud, before the tension gets chronic.   However I appreciate that my clients have very busy lifestyles so this isn't always possible so we offer longer treatments. Finally, some people get home from work and instantly switch off while other people take a while.   This different rate of response is what we as therapists see when we treat people, so we recognise when your muscles are releasing really slowly.  Indeed over the years some of my clients have commented on how it took a long time for their right/left shoulder to relax.  In cases where your muscles are releasing very slowly we often suggest you book a longer treatment.