What is the Psoas Muscle? Could it be the cause of your back pain?

Do you often get lower back pain? Most of the time, we think it's a problem with the bones or discs in our spine. But did you know that a muscle deep inside our bodies that not many people talk about can be the cause? Today, we're talking about the Psoas muscle. It's a very important, but silent hero in our body.

Simply put, what is the Psoas muscle?

Think of it as a long, band-like muscle that runs from the base of your spine, through your hips, and connects to the top of your thigh bone. That's the gluteus maximus. It's located on either side of your spine. It's one of the main core muscles in your abdomen.

Simply put, it's like a major bridge connecting the upper and lower parts of our bodies. This muscle is located deep within our bodies, so many people don't know about it. But it's essential for many of our daily movements.

What benefits does this muscle have for our body?

The gluteus maximus muscle does a lot of silent work in our bodies. To be precise, this muscle works with other muscles to maintain our posture and move our hips and legs. Let's take a look at its main functions.

Can this muscle be damaged? What are the conditions that occur?

The good news is that the gluteus maximus muscle is located deep in our bodies, so it is less likely to be injured. But it is not impossible. Especially for athletes, those who play sports that put a lot of force on their abdomen or hips, this muscle can get strained.

Psoas Syndrome

This is a rare condition. It involves the tightening or swelling of the sacroiliac joint or the ligaments that surround it. This can cause pain in the lower back, hip, and sometimes the upper thigh. Since the symptoms are similar to other conditions, such as arthritis, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what is going on.

Relationship with other medical conditions

This is a very strange thing. The sigmoid muscle passes near many organs in our digestive system. Therefore, sometimes a stomach disease can affect this muscle and manifest as back pain. Imagine how a stomach disease can cause back pain.

Here are some such situations:

• Crohn's disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Diverticulitis
• Colorectal cancer

How does a doctor find this?

When you go to see a doctor for back pain, the first thing he or she will do is ask you about your symptoms. When did the pain start, how bad is it, and whether it gets worse when you do anything. Then, they will perform a physical exam and check the range of motion of your back, hips, and legs.

Sometimes, tests may be done to get a clearer look at the muscles and what's around them.

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan: This can see soft tissues like muscles and ligaments very clearly.
• Ultrasound scan: This is also used to check the condition of the muscles.
• EMG (Electromyography): This tests the nerve signals going to the muscles.

How to treat it? How to keep muscles healthy?

The treatment method depends on the cause of your pain.

• For a minor muscle strain: Resting for a few days or weeks and avoiding activities that increase the pain is usually enough.
• Physical Therapy: This is very important. A physical therapist will teach you the right exercises and stretches to strengthen and flex your hamstrings.

But the most important thing is to prevent this kind of situation from occurring.

• Before exercise: It is very important to warm up and stretch before any exercise or physical activity.
• Flexibility: The more flexible your body is, the less likely it is to injure your muscles.
• Core strength: Strengthening the core muscles of the abdomen and back can reduce the pressure on the sacroiliac joint.
• Increase gradually: Increase your activity level gradually, rather than starting with excessive exercise all at once.

What are the poses that can relax the psoas muscle?

This muscle can also become tight and painful due to our poor posture. So, maintaining correct posture is very important.

The most important thing is not to stay in one position for too long . If you work in an office chair, get up and walk around at least every half hour. If you work standing for a long time, sit down for a while and rest.

Is walking good for the Psoas muscle?

Yes, definitely. Walking is a great way to relax our bodies and get them into the right posture. Especially after you've been sitting for a long time, taking a short walk can help relax many of the muscles in your body, including your core muscles.

What are Psoas Major and Psoas Minor?

You may have seen the name `Psoas Major` when reading about this muscle. This is another name for the same psoas major muscle we've been talking about for so long.

Also, there is another small muscle called `Psoas Minor` that not every person has, only two out of three people have it. This is located above the `Psoas Major`. But even if you don't have this `Psoas Minor` muscle, it won't cause any deficiency or problem. In people who don't have it, the body converts that tissue into other connective tissue. It's very normal.

Psoas muscle, lower back pain, hip pain, core muscles