The Hip Helper

This article explains how the psoas muscle affects acute and chronic lower back pain. A tight or contracted psoas muscle can pull on the lumbar spine, leading to misalignment and disc degeneration. The article highlights the importance of a strong and balanced psoas muscle for spinal stability and posture and recommends specific stretches/exercises to alleviate tightness and strengthen the muscle.

This article explores how trauma is stored in the body's tissues, particularly muscles and fascia. It explains that trauma can disrupt physical and emotional health, and releasing this stored trauma requires reconnecting the brain with affected body areas. Techniques like myofascial release (the Hip Helper's method of release) are effective in unlocking these memories and promoting healing.

This study, published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), investigates the implications of psoas tightness on various health issues. It emphasizes that psoas tightness can contribute to chronic back pain, reduced mobility, and other musculoskeletal problems. The research highlights the role of the psoas in maintaining posture and its potential to influence conditions like sciatica and hip pain when tight or dysfunctional.

This study examines how psoas muscle tightness contributes to low back pain (LBP). The case of a 66-year-old woman shows that addressing psoas tightness with specific exercises and treatments can significantly reduce pain and improve function, highlighting the psoas muscle's role in back pain.

Page 7 points out that psoas tightness was possibly caused by a back injury, and the psoas was tightening, or "guarding", to protect the spine. Without releasing and strengthening the psoas, this only leads to further dysfunction.

This article links psoas tightness with lower back pain and a host of other issues.

This study, published in the National Library of Medicine (NIH) finds a strong correlation of psoas muscle tension with digestion issues (described as "functional gastro-intestinal disorders"), such as abdominal pain and constipation. Interestingly, the left psoas was found to have more tension than the right.

A theory is also presented that psoas tightness causes irritation of the gut and nearby sympathetic nerves, creating a "fight or flight" response and subsequently a source of anxiety.