The muscle I think is most appropriate to talk about is the iliopsoas. For the people who sit for long periods in the; office, cars or in public service vehicles this muscle group tends to shorten. The psoas muscle can be one of the causes for either low back, hip or groin pain.
The iliopsoas is a group of muscles that do the same work. But they have different origin and insertion (start and end of the muscle). It originates from the vertebrae (spinal bones) of the lumbar 1-5 and inserts on the femur (thigh bone)
As part of a group of muscles categorized as hip flexors, the psoas muscles’ primary action is to flex the hips in order to lift the thighs toward the torso, which allows you to run, walk uphill, and climb stairs, for example. They are vital for flexibility and movement of the back, pelvis, legs, and hips. And along with the core muscles, they help stabilize the spine.
For the people who sit for a long time in the office, cars or buses this muscle group tends to shorten . What it does is to push the vertebrae in front and the pelvis anterior rotates. This will cause you to have or develop an exaggerated curvature of the lower spine.
On the other hand, many athletes, including runners, soccer players, and cyclists, as well as dancers, end up with tight psoas muscles because they are prone to overuse them. Having tight psoas muscles reduces the length of your stride when you walk or run, since your hip cannot extend as much as it needs to, and the tightness can affect your performance in other ways as well.
The psoas muscle can be one of the causes for either low back hip or groin pain. The physical therapist will tend to do an assessment to determine if it is among the causes of your low back pain and discomfort. It has referral patterns as shown below.
The way to keep this muscle happy is to regulate how much you sit in the office. Also we should be stretching this muscle frequently. Remember a good stretch should be for a minimum of 15 seconds. The longer you stretch the better. Here is a good way to stretch the psoas muscles.
