We are going to walk you through some of the best options you can use as a psoas stretch and a psoas release. Your hips are probably a lot tighter than you want them to be since you may sit down for a long period of time from day to day. You often sit to watch Netflix, drive, and work on the computer; then you expect your body to be able to extend and get length when you need to run later. When your hips are tight and you try to perform athletically, it makes you vulnerable to hamstring and back injuries. Everyone is always looking for cheats on a better psoas release. We are going to explain the best way to do it, as well as laying out some other options.
Anatomy of The Psoas Stretch and Psoas Release
The psoas is a hip flexor, but the key is understanding what it connects with. Muscles never operate in isolation, any other muscles or structures they touch will be affected as well. The psoas connects to the femur, but it also connects to the L4 and L5 of the spine as well as the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is actually what you control to breathe. When the diaphragm expands, it drops the air pressure and allows air to rush in, when it contracts it increases the air pressure and pushes the air out. If you practice things like deep breathing and meditation, believe it or not, it can improve the function of your psoas.
The Psoas connects with the L4 and L5, and that is why it is so important to get a psoas release on a regular basis. If the psoas is tight, it is going to try and pull the lower back towards the femur and hold it there. Imagine trying to run fast from a seated position, it can be done, but it will not be your best. When your psoas is tight with every step, you are fighting this closed position.
Causes of Tight Psoas and Need for Psoas Stretch and Psoas Release
The psoas has become a modern injury because of how much we sit down. When most people were farmers historically, we did not sit down nearly as much as we do today. We were out in the fields working most of the day. Today we sit down doing these activities:
- Watching TV
- Being entertained
- Driving
- Eating
- Studying
- At School
- Working on a computer
We spend most of our days in the seated position, and it wreaks havoc on our psoas and hip flexor. There may be little you can do about the amount you sit down. The challenge then becomes how to get your psoas release when you need. An easy starting point is to do your psoas stretch on a daily basis.
The result of a Needing a Psoas Stretch and Psoas Release
The first thing that is going to happen when your psoas gets tight is that it will cause your hips to become imbalanced. The reason this happens is usually because one psoas gets tight before the other. What that means is that one side of your body is going to have your back being pulled on and it will start to rotate the hips. Once the hips rotate, it can lead to a tonne of other issues.
The second thing that is going to happen is that your back will begin to hurt due to the fact that the spine is being pulled into a compromised position. When the lumbar has too much of a curve, it puts more pressure on the disk and the vertebrae.
The last thing that will happen if you do not get the psoas stretch and psoas release you need, is that your breathing will be affected. Breathing is a big part of being an athlete and just living in general. If you cannot breathe right, it will affect your performance and how you live.
Best Psoas Stretch
#1 – Hip Stretch With Reach
- The key to this stretch is flexing the glute
- By flexing the glute, you stop the hip from rotating
- If the pelvis rotates the psoas will not be stretched
- Visualize the psoas muscle lengthening
#2 – Best Stretch No One is Talking About
- This is not direct psoas stretch, but it opens up the entire hip complex
- There is not a stretch that is better for your overall general health
- Doing this stretch daily will take the pressure off everything surrounding your hips
#3 – The Couch Stretch
- If hip tightness is coming from the quad, this stretch should be number 1
- The quad being tight will automatically make the hips fast over time
- This stretch stretches the quads and hip as one
- Raise hands in the air to increase the psoas stretch
Best Psoas Release
The psoas release is a bit more difficult than the psoas stretch. The reason is that you get the best release, you need to see a healthcare provider. To do manual work on the psoas, it requires someone to dig their hands into your gut just laterally to the belly button, grip the muscle and then stretch it by moving the leg. You don’t want just any person digging into you and doing this.
#1 Active Release Technique/ ART on Psoas
#2 – Lie On Different Sized Balls
- Lie on the ball until you feel the psoas compress
- Hyerexten back to get psoas stretch and psoas release
- Not nearly as powerful as option 1
Finding The Best Local Sports Medicine Providers for Psoas Release or Psoas Stretch
9INE POINT Health fka Kho Health is the best place to start your search for a health care provider to help you stay healthy. The key to success as an athlete is staying healthy and making sure the injuries are dealt with appropriately. Any athlete that sits down for a significant time is at more risk of needing a psoas release or psoas stretch and the key to success as an athlete is staying healthy.
9INE POINT Health lets you search for providers by type and skill. For example, you can look for a Physical Therapist with fascial stretching for example. It does not matter what kind of provider you need, 9INE POINT Health can help you find them and help you to sort through their skills.
If you are unsure where to start your journey, 9INE POINT Health will ask you questions and help you figure out the best starting place. All you have to do is answer a few questions. From there, 9INE POINT Health will connect you with the type of provider best suited for your needs. It does not matter if you are injured or making sure you don’t run into Psoas issues.
The platform makes it easy to compare health providers as they are all given a 9INE POINT Gap Number. How do you decide which healthcare providers are the best? Reading bios and reviews is just not enough because you need more than that.
Skill Sets to Look for In Sports Medicine Providers When Needing Psoas Stretch or Psoas Release
Skill sets are the things healthcare providers learn after they graduate. A healthcare provider can take courses and get certifications for different skill sets. These skill sets are valuable and help them approach injuries from different perspectives so that you can get the best help at the right time for any psoas release or psoas stretch that you need.
- Dry needling
- Acupuncture
- Joint Manipulation
- Active Release Technique
- Graston Technique
- Functional Movement Screen
- Fascial Stretching
- Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Athletic Trainer
- Sports Background
- And many more
