Shortening of the hip flexor (psoas or iliopsoas) is already one of the most shortened muscles in the body due to sitting for long periods of time with the hips flexed. For about 200 years, people have been sitting on chairs in our form of society. Before that, most people squatted in the natural squat, with a small stool at most. Since sitting on chairs, shortening of this muscle occurs. It is found
Where the psoas is located in the body?
The hip flexor runs from the front of the femur in front, through the hip joint, and onto the back of the spine. Due to the oblique position through the body and the attachment points to the spine, this muscle has a significant influence on the back. The counter muscles as hip extensors are the gluteal muscles.
What to do when the iliopsoas hurts?
If there is pain in the psoas or iliopsoas, an initial attempt can be made to stretch it. However, these exercises to stretch the muscle are very tiring for many people, especially for people who sit a lot in the office. Regular yoga can be a remedy, as exercises with stretches are already integrated here.
If stretching the psoas is not enough, it is useful to press on the muscle insertion of the hip flexor. This is located in the bar. The easiest way to do this is to lie on your side, bend your lower leg at the knee through 90°, straighten your upper leg and then gently press on the muscle insertion with your thumb, starting to get firmer and firmer in a muscle gap below the inguinal ligament. This makes the muscle more elastic and easier to stretch than with pure stretching exercises.
What does pain in the groin area mean?
Pain in the groin can also originate from other structures. Thus, hip pain is very common. If your hip is difficult to rotate in flexion or if you experience pain when rotating your hip, you may have a hip impingement disorder (femoroacetabular impingement) or you may have developed hip arthritis (coxarthrosis). This is the case when the cartilage of the hip joint has worn out. However, there may also be an inguinal hernia, this is more likely to hurt when coughing.
Rare diseases are nerve constrictions of the hip nerves such as the genitofemoral nerve, the lateral femoral nerve and the ilioinguinal nerve. Rarely, bursitis of the anterior hip may also be present. Lateral bursitis is much more common.
What sports are good for hip pain?
Most sports are more likely to cause muscle shortening from the hip flexor, such as jogging, cycling and the leg press at the gym. Sports that compensate for the shortening of the hip flexor by hyperextending the hip are better, such as yoga, stretching exercises, cross-country skiing, Pilates and swimming.
How often to stretch hip flexors?
Basically, a stretch should be held for 2-3 minutes. In normal everyday life you should stretch the hip flexor at least once a day. If you sit a lot or do sports that put a lot of stress on the hip flexor, a second stretch a day would be useful.
Table of contents
