If
you have taken any group fitness classes in July, you may have heard me mention
(okay lecture J) about an
important yet unknown muscle in your body called the psoa major muscle. Wait,
don’t stop reading yet! The posa major muscle
is actually really cool. It attaches to the last thoracic vertebra of your
spinal column and all of the lumbar
vertebra (including the lumbar vertebral discs--neat!). It then passes down through the pelvis and
inserts onto the femur or thigh bone. There
are two psoai: one on each side of the body that attaches to each femur.
If
you walk or stand with your knees bent or in a swayback position (where your
hips are swayed forward of your shoulders), are hunched over, or have low back,
hip, groin or upper back pain (did I miss anything?), you may have a tight posa
major muscle.
The
reason why pretty much everyone has a shortened psoa muscle is because the psoai
not only tighten under stress and tension, but they shorten about three inches
in sitting positions including (but definitely not limited to) riding a bike
(stationary or otherwise), sitting while eating, drinking, watching TV,
talking, or traveling by car. It also
shortens during athletic activity where the hips are in flexion (thighs and
knees come out in front of you). This
would be things like the high knee marching I sometimes make you do in class or
front leg raises (sorry about that!).
Interestingly enough, treadmill walking also uses the hip flexors more
than just regular walking on the ground because the moving tread does not
provide a force for the muscles in opposition (your gluteal or your bottom
muscles) to engage.
It’s good to have a strong posa major to
support our upright posture, but we also want it to be supple and long rather
than tight and short.
Here
are some ways to lengthen the psoai if yours are short taken from biomechanist
Katy Bowman, M.S. and her website www.alignedandwell.com
*Stand
with the hips pushed back and weight in your heels. (A side view angle of this
would show vertical load joints: shoulders stacked over hips, stacked over
ankles). See pictures below.
*Drop
your rib cage rather than sticking your chest out. No rib thrusting! See picture
below.
*Check
that your hips are back and your ribcage is down many times throughout your day!
*Sit
less (Remember sitting shortens the psoai)
*Walk
more (Engage your gluteal muscles when you walk—squeeze your bottom!)
After
you’ve done all that, start or finish your day with a few psoai stretches. Pick your favorite from the following three.
Standing Lunge Stretch
Hold
onto a chair or sturdy object. Step one
leg straight back into a lunge position. Keep the hips in neutral and bend your
knees to lower down until you feel a stretch in the groin and upper thigh of
the leg that is back. Hold for one minute, switch legs, and repeat.
90/90 Kneeling Stretch
Kneel
on a thick pad or mat. Have a chair or sturdy object nearby for balance. Bring
one foot forward. Make sure the knee of the forward leg stays over the ankle
and does not move past it. Keep the
pelvis level and do not lean forward. Hold for one minute and switch sides.
Correct: ribcage down
Reclined Stretch
And
finally, my favorite, the reclined psoa major stretch.
Kneel
on a thick pad or mat. Have a chair or sturdy object nearby for balance. Bring
one foot forward. Make sure the knee of the forward leg stays over the ankle
and does not move past it. Keep the
pelvis level and do not lean forward. Hold for one minute and switch sides.
Why,
you ask, am I making you do all of this work?
Well, studies show releasing the posai major and
other hip flexors actually improves walking.
A study published in the 2011 Academy of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation showed that frail elder adults participating in a twice daily,
ten week hip flexor stretch program showed significant increases in walking
speed and stride length!
I hope you decide to
begin your own posai major lengthening program today!
Healthfully yours,
Sandra Sieber, Fitness Coordinator
Labels: health and fitness