The One Muscle That Does Not Need Strengthening August 15, 2005 in Located behind those flab or fab abs is a little known but oh so powerful muscle called your PSOAS (pronounced so-as). The only muscle to connect your spine to your leg, the psoas influences everything from low back pain and anxiety, to full body orgasms and pure pleasure. It is a supple, juicy dynamic muscle. So why don’t people know about the psoas and why do so few physicians ever mention it? Subtle to sense, the psoas is not easy to locate and because it is so deep within the human core, it can not easily be palpated (nor is it a good idea to have your psoas manipulated!). A part of the flee/fight/freeze response, invasive techniques can exacerbate psoas problems. A primal messenger of the central nervous system the psoas is an emotional muscle expressing what is felt deep within the belly core – what is commonly referred to as “gut feelings”. A tense psoas can disturb digestion, reproductive functioning and create a host of other aliments.
Released and vital it fosters feelings of pleasure and comfortable. Constructive rest is an easy position for releasing tension in your psoas muscle. After work and before your evening meal take 10 – 20 minutes to rest in constructive rest and feel the benefits. A safe and comfortable position, constructive rest helps to relieve back, pelvic and leg fatigue and tension. Begin by resting on your back. Knees bent and feet placed parallel to each other, the width apart of the front of your hip sockets. Place your heels approximately 12-16 inches away from your buttocks. Keep the trunk and head parallel with the floor. If not parallel place a folded, flat towel under your head. DO NOT push your lower back to the floor or tuck your pelvis under in an attempt to flatten the spine. For best results keep the arms below the shoulder height letting them rest over the ribcage, to the sides of your body or on your belly. There is nothing to do; constructive rest is a BEING position. In this simple position gravity releases the psoas and you’ll feel more at peace with your self and the world.
Sleeping on the Floor: 5 Life-Changing Benefits Sleep Train Education Center With so many different models and types of mattresses, shopping for one can seem confusing. The Sleep Train Education Center is a great place to start. Here we address this confusion by educating shoppers on common questions about mattress construction and mattress types. Now you can shop with confidence. How to Shop For a New Mattress It's easy to be a smart shopper when you have the right information. Here are a few tips: Come Prepared: Dress comfortably, you will be testing many mattresses... Know what you’re buying: Mattress manufacturers use different model names to identify each mattress... More Mattress Education ResourcesLower Right Back PainLower BacksEstablish It'SBack StiffnessPsoas FunctionsMedicine ChartsDeez KneezDamn PsoasIt'S LengthForwardThe Psoas is a major contributor to back pain, stiffness and anterior hip pain. Description of what it is, how the Psoas functions and strategies to re-establish it's length and activation.
Three Things You Didn't Know Acupuncture Can Treat A More Luxurious View of Bali's Whitewater Scene Winter Clearance Season Is Underway — Get 40% Off at Backcountry Is It Ever Ok to Hit on a Woman at the Gym? 8 Credit Cards to Fit Your Adventurous Lifestyle The European Union Announces the End of Visa-Free Travel Strange Brew: 22 Over-the-Top Cocktails Worth Trying Once BrewDog Raises $60K in 24 hours for ‘The DogHouse’ Craft Beer Hotel The Real Reason You Have Plantar Fasciitis (and How to Fix It) Plantar fasciitis can bring down even the strongest men. In sports, we see athlete after athlete sidelined because of this particular malady — a maddening diagnosis that can make one dread just getting out of bed to walk to the bathroom. It can be excruciating, and follows you around with no respite.For as common as plantar fasciitis is, little is understood in the medical field about the causes of it. There is, however, consensus on what it is technically, an irritation or inflammation in the plantar fascia often accompanied by tiny tears in the fascia itself.
While I agree that plantar fasciitis is an overuse injury, I have my own theory on the true cause.In my clinical work, I have seen plantar fasciitis develop because people are not using their posterior chain efficiently while walking or running. I see two main issues associated with this foot pain: lack of hip extension and/or overuse of the soleus (your lower calf muscle), both of which cause your feet to get tight and your plantar fascia to overwork. Step after step, day after day, your gait is not efficient and forces are not transferred properly through the body, leading to injury.Almost everyone needs to open up their hip flexors. We all know that sitting too much is wreaking havoc on our bodies, and there has been a spate of articles detailing all of the disheartening facts. In addition to all the other issues, tight hip flexors will cause a lack of hip extension and cause glutes to work inefficiently. Here's a routine that will release your hip flexors, soleus, and get you back on track: Hip Flexor ReleaseFor this release, use two lacrosse balls taped together.
Lay on your stomach and place the double lacrosse ball just below your hip bone.Lean a tolerable amount of weight onto the lacrosse balls.Bend the knee on the side of the release back to a 90 degree angle.Swing your leg side to side in a tolerable range of motion.Repeat this in 30-second to two-minute intervals.Hip ThrustHolding two dumbbells, lie with your upper back flat on a bench or table with your legs and low back off the edge and feet on the ground.Place the dumbbell on your hips.Dip your glutes down and then thrust back up, squeezing your glutes through the movement.To make it more challenging, add a band around your knees just below the knee.Calf ReleaseSit with your calf on top of the lacrosse ball.Place your other leg over the one you are releasing and roll yourself up and down over the ball.Once you find a spot that is tender, stop and point your foot up and down for 30 seconds.Plantar Fascia ReleaseStanding with a lacrosse ball or golf ball: Place the ball on the bottom of your foot.