How common is back pain?
· #Backpain affects one third of the adult population each year in the UK
· 9.1 million people in England suffer from back pain
· Back pain is the second most common cause of short term absence at work after minor illnesses (cold and flu)
Is sitting down killing you?
Within an average, typical day most people will follow this similar pattern:
· Get out of bed
· Sit down for breakfast or a drink
· Travel to work (usually in a seated position)
· Work (usually in a seated position)
· Travel home
· Period of time for exercise
· Sit down for dinner
· Sit down and relax
· Go to bed
Now ask yourself… How many hours do I spend a day sat down?
Meet the psoas muscle
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The psoas is part of the iliopsoas group. This two-part muscle group is comprised of the iliacus and psoas, hence the term #iliopsoas. The #psoas is the primary mover when flexing the hip and bending at the truck of the body. One of the most significant things about the psoas is that it connects the legs to the spine, which means that what you do with your legs could possibly affect your spine without you thinking about it, or even feeling it.
When the psoas has been persistently shortened, inevitably, other muscle groups become involved to counteract the loss of structural reliability. The #hips start to tilt, varying the distances in certain joints and the femurs are compacted heavily into the hip sockets. To compensate for this change, the quadriceps muscles become overdeveloped which can be a formula for #kneepain and #lowerbackpain.
As modern-day populations grow more sedentary thanks to technology and an over-emphasized use of “comfortable” chairs, psoas-related lower back, knee and #hippain, and the condition of “sitting too much,” are quickly rising.
If you sit for long periods of time, on a consistent basis, your muscles will shorten in length.
The same thing happens with your hamstrings and your back; only it’s your knees and back that are affected, resulting in a deep pain felt in your groin and hip region.
By spending so much time in a flexed position coupled with a lack of movement throughout the day, you have successfully created #tightiliopsoas muscles.
Top tips to help release the psoas
· Leg Swings - forward, back and sideways (2x 10 reps in each direction)
· Quad stretch & reach overhead with your opposite arm (each side 30secs)
· Lizard yoga pose (each side 30secs)
· Lie on back - knees bent and rotate hips so that knees touch the floor on each side (10 x reps on each side)
· Single Leg Glute Bridge (1 Set of 10 Repetitions (5 repetitions on each side) with a 2 second hold)
· Front to Side Plank with Leg Kicks (1 Set of 10 Repetitions (5 repetitions on each side) with a 2 second hold)
· Pigeon pose ( 30 secs hold each side)