Exercise for Oxford Back Pain Linked to the Iliopsoas Muscle

Ever think of your body in terms of the upper part and lower part? An interesting part – the iliopsoas muscle group – connects the spine with the lower extremities. Anatomy is really cool! Everything is connected…and also affected when there’s pain. Your Oxford chiropractor knows well the anatomy of back pain and all the affected, connected parts. The chiropractic services at Satterwhite Chiropractic mix to help you control the pain and get back to your daily activities.

THE ILIOPSOAS MUSCLE

Do you know where the iliopsoas muscle is? Know what it does? If you suffer with back pain, you might. The iliopsoas is really a deep muscle group composed of the psoas major, psoas minor, and iliacus muscles. The iliopsoas muscle group connects the spine to the lower extremities. Its pain may seem like it comes from the hip which makes it difficult to figure out whether it is the source of pain or not, but your Oxford chiropractor has a few special tests to figure that out! Being the main hip flexor, a properly functioning iliopsoas is important. If it’s tight or painful or hurt, there are treatments and exercises to help. (1) Your chiropractor at Satterwhite Chiropractic can help clarify the involvement of the iliopsoas and establish a treatment plan to treat it and its associated pain, like Oxford back pain.

THE ILIOPSOAS AND BACK PAIN

When dealing with back pain, sufferers are often willing to try most anything to help! Chiropractic care helps, especially the gentle Cox® Technic form of spinal manipulation which is part of a larger system of spinal pain management that features nutrition and exercise, too. A widely used exercise routine is the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) system. Chronic low back pain has been shown to benefit from it. A meta-analysis of 12 studies and 410 participants found that PNF was more beneficial in relieving pain and improving waist function. It was also observed to help pulmonary function! (2) Remember how everything is connected and the iliopsoas connects the spine to the lower extremities? One mechanical factor that back pain sufferers share is often altered pelvic tilting. A tight iliopsoas muscle is often the culprit for which PNF is useful. Compared to another popular stretching technique, muscle energy technique, PNF showed itself superior though both were remarkably effective for loosening the tight iliopsoas. (3) If the iliopsoas is involved, we can go over an exercise that can help at your next visit.

CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr.  Nike Taylor on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she shares the treatment of chronic back pain with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Oxford chiropractic appointment soon. If we discover that the iliopsoas is part of your back pain problem, we will connect and handle it!