A New Approach to the Psoas Muscle

The psoas muscle, a deep-seated core muscle, is a true marvel of the human body. In this post, Lynn shares the wonders of the psoas, the roles it plays in the body, and how to work with this muscle in a new and respectful way that helps clients and the body feel at ease.

Location and Role of the Psoas Muscle

The psoas muscle originates on the lateral sides of the lumbar vertebral body, travels through the pelvis, and attaches to the lesser trochanters of the femur. The iliacus muscle is a separate muscle but does combine with the lower portion of the psoas muscle as it attaches to the femur, forming the iliopsoas muscle.  

The psoas muscle serves a multitude of roles and is one of the most fascinating muscles of the body. It is not just a muscle, but a key player in maintaining posture, spinal stability, and movement of the lower body. This muscle connects the upper and lower body and influences alignment. It is also responsible for hip and spinal flexion and spinal stability.

The Muscle of Fear

Additionally, the psoas muscle is closely connected to the central nervous system and helps regulate the body’s stress response. It’s sometimes referred to as “the muscle of fear” because of its deep connection to the survival mechanisms of the fight-or-flight response. When the body perceives a threat or stressor, the sympathetic nervous system triggers a physiological response that can lead to the tightening of the these muscles. This tension helps to prime the muscles of the lower body for running or fighting.

Working with the Psoas Muscle

In times of chronic stress or trauma (such as the stress of navigating life as a new mother!), the sympathetic nervous system can remain activated. This continuous activation can cause tightness in the psoas or create emotional holding patterns as the muscle “stores” stress or trauma. The tightness and holding patterns can contribute to pain or tension in the lower back, hips and pelvis. When the muscle and holding patterns are released clients can experience an emotional release as the nervous system recalibrates.

When interviewing Liz Kock, an international somatic educator who has spent her career studying and writing about the psoas muscle, she shared that the this muscle isn’t a typical muscle, and that it shouldn’t be handled in the same way we might approach other muscles of the body. She refers to the psoas as the filet mignon of the body and talks about how it shouldn’t be directly stretched or forced to do what it doesn’t want to. It’s better approached through an indirect approach like movement, dance or embodied connection to this muscle.  

After 30+ years working with pregnant and postpartum clients, I absolutely agree with Liz’s recommendations. I used to address the psoas muscle through the typical approach of directly contacting the muscle through the abdomen, but that approach never sat well with me. If you think about compressing through the abdominal wall, the intestines, and all the blood vessels to touch the psoas which sits in the back wall of the abdomen – it’s no wonder. Working in this way felt forceful and invasive and would often trigger a nervous system response in the body making the muscle even tighter.

A Respectful Approach

I am happy to share that I have found a more respectful approach to help encourage release of the psoas muscle! In this approach you can work posteriorly and inferiorly by contacting the attachment points on the bones instead of digging down into the abdomen.

When I was working in a cadaver lab, I saw that the psoas muscles peek out from the lumbar paraspinals on their lateral aspects. When we connect to the attachment points, we can intend our hands on the muscle belly and encourage a shortening of the muscles. When you work with this way, the muscles just melt in your hands. This release can be done unilaterally and bilaterally as we want to ensure balance between the two muscles side to side. 

The psoas release is one of my favorite techniques to teach because you can feel the release so beautifully in your hands. Clients who are attuned to their bodies can also feel the release and notice a nice and immediate change in their core.  

What if the Psoas Muscle Doesn’t Want to Release

There are times when the psoas will remain activated after a felt release. When this happens, keep in mind the connection between this muscle and the kidneys. If the psoas remains activated, it could either be a continual stress response in the nervous system that needs to be addressed or the positioning of the kidneys that may prevent the muscle from relaxing. If the kidneys have moved inferiorly from a fall or stepping hard into a hole for instance, they will rest on the psoas muscles and activate them. Treating the kidney will help reduce the muscle tone in a lot of cases, and again, if it doesn’t, then there may be a stress response going on in the body.

Learning to Treat the Psoas Muscle

The psoas muscle is a key player in the body and one you’ll want to know how to effectively work with in both your pregnant and postpartum clients. I teach the psoas release technique in both of my holistic courses: Holistic Treatment of the Pregnant Body and Holistic Treatment of the Postpartum Body.

These treatment techniques along with many others, can help get your clients pain free and restore function. We are running our first online group cohort for the Holistic Treatment of the Postpartum Body course! Our first live group call will be September 30, 2024. Check out this page to learn more.

About the Author: Lynn Schulte is a Pelvic Health Therapist and the founder of the Institute for Birth Healing, a pelvic health continuing education organization that specializes in prenatal and postpartum care. For more information, go to https://instituteforbirthhealing.com