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
 
 

 

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