Common plan notwithstanding, the allowable purpose of abdominal exercises is to awaken control of the abdominal muscles so they coordinate good with the other muscles of the trunk and legs (which comprise the psoas muscles). It is that good coordination that improves alignment, and not merely higher tone or strength. When the psoas muscles accomplish their allowable length, tone (tonus) and responsiveness, they stabilize the lumbar spine in movement as well as when standing, giving the feeling of good withhold and "strength". Mutual coordination of the psoas and other muscles causes/allows the spine and abdomen to fall back, giving the appearance of "strong" abdominal muscles -- but it is not the impel of abdominal muscles, alone, but the coordination of all the involved muscles that gives that appearance.
The Psoas Muscles and Abdominal Exercises For Back Pain
To improve psoas functioning, a separate coming to abdominal exercises than the one generally practiced is necessary. Instead of "strengthening," the emphasis must be on awareness, control, balancing and coordination of the involved muscles - the purview of somatic education. I will say more...
... But first: A argument of the methods and techniques of somatic study is beyond the scope of this paper, which confines itself to a argument of the relation of the psoas muscles, abdominal exercises, and back pain. For that, see the links at the lowest of this article.
The association of Psoas, Abdominal Muscles and Back Pain
The psoas muscles and the abdominal muscles function as agonist and antagonist (opponents) as well as synergists (mutual helpers); a free interplay between the two is appropriate. The psoas muscles lie behind the abdominal contents, running from the lumbar spine to the inner thighs near the hip joints (lesser trochanters); the abdominal muscles lie in front of the abdominal contents, running from the lower borders of the ribs (with the rectus muscles as high as the nipples) to the frontal lines of the pelvis.
Take a occasion to seek each of these relationships until you can feel or visualize them
- In the standing position, contracted psoas muscles (which ride over the pubic crests) move the pubis backward; the abdominal muscles move the pubis forward. (antagonists)
- In walking, the ilio-psoas muscles of one side get underway movement of that leg forward, while the abdominals bring the same-side hip and pubis forward. (synergists)
- The psoas major muscles pull the lumbar spine forward; the abdominal muscles push the lumbar spine back (via pressure on abdominal contents and change of pelvic position). (antagonists)
- The psoas minor muscles pull the fronts of attached vertebrae (at the level of the diaphragm), down and back; the abdominals push the same area back. (synergists)
- Unilateral contraction of the psoas muscles causes rotation of the torso away from the side of contraction and sidebending toward the side of contraction (as if leaning to one side and finding over ones raised shoulder); abdominals sustain that movement.
Now, if this all sounds complicated, it is -- to the mind. But if you have good use and coordination of those muscles, it's straightforward -- you move well.
Words on Abdominal Exercises
Exercises that exertion to flatten the belly (e.g., crunches) generally produce a set pattern in which the abdominal muscles merely overpower psoas and spinal extensor muscles that are already set at too high a level of tension.
High abdominal muscle tone from abdominal crunches interferes with the potential to stand fully erect, as the contracted abdominal muscles drag the front of the ribs down. Numerous consequences follow:
(1) breathing is impaired,
(2) compression of abdominal contents results, impeding circulation,
(3) deprived of the pumping supervene of petition on fluid circulation, the lumbar plexus, which is embedded in the psoas, becomes less functional (slowed circulation slows tissue food and dismissal of metabolic waste; nerve plexus metabolism slows; persisting constipation often results),
(4) displacement of the centers of gravity of the body's segments from a vertical arrangement (standing or sitting) deprives them of support; gravity then drags them down and supplementary in the direction of displacement; muscular involvement (at the back of the body) then becomes essential to counteract what is, in effect, a movement toward collapse. This muscular exertion
(a) taxes the body's vital resources,
(b) introduces strain in the involved musculature (e.g., the extensors of the back), and
(c) sets the stage for back pain and back injury.
The psoas has often been portrayed as the villain in back pain, and exercise is often intended to overpower the psoas muscles by pushing the spine and abdomen back. However, it is inevitable from the foregoing that "inconvenient" consequences supervene from that strategy. A more fitting coming is to balance the interaction of the psoas and abdominal muscles.
When the psoas and the abdominal muscles counterbalance each other, the psoas muscles compact and relax, shorten and lengthen appropriately in movement. The lumbar curve, rather than increasing, decreases; the back flattens and the abdominal contents move back into the abdominal cavity, where they are supported instead of hanging forward.
It should be noted that the pelvic orientation, and thus the spinal curves, is also largely considered by the musculature and connective tissue of the legs, which join together the legs with the pelvis and torso. If the legs are not directly below the pelvis, but are somewhat behind (or more rarely, ahead of the pelvis), stresses are introduced straight through muscles and connective tissue that displace the pelvis. Rotation of the pelvis, hip height asymmetry, and/or inordinate lordosis (or, more rarely, kyphosis) follow, all of which work on the psoas/abdominal interplay.
Where movement, visceral (organ) function, and freedom from back pain are concerned, allowable withhold from the legs is as foremost as the free, reciprocal interplay of the psoas and abdominal muscles.
More on the Psoas and Walking
Dr. Ida P. Rolf described the psoas as the initiator of walking:
Let us be clear about this: the legs do not generate movement in the walk of a balanced body; the legs withhold and follow. Movement is initiated in the trunk and transmitted to the legs straight through the medium of the psoas.
(Rolf, 1977: Rolfing, the Integration of Human Structures, pg. 118).
A casual interpretation of this article might be that the psoas initiates hip flexion by bringing the thigh forward. It's not quite as straightforward as that.
By its location, the psoas is also a rotator of the thigh. It passes down and transmit from the lumbar spine, over the pubic crest, before its tendon passes back to its insertion at the lesser trochanter of the thigh. Shortening of the psoas pulls upon that tendon, which pulls the medial aspect of the thigh forward, inducing rotation, knee outward.
In salutary functioning, two actions regulate that tendency to knee-outward turning: (1) the same side of the pelvis rotates transmit by performance piquant the iliacus muscle, the internal oblique (which is functionally continuous with the iliacus by its common insertion at the iliac crest) and the external oblique of the other side and (2) the gluteus minimus, which passes backward from below the iliac crest to the greater trochanter, assists the psoas in bringing the thigh forward, while counter-balancing its tendency to rotate the thigh outward. The glutei minimi are internal rotators, as well as flexors, of the thigh at the hip joint. They function synergistically with the psoas.
This synergy causes transmit movement of the thigh, aided by the transmit movement of the same side of the pelvis. The movement functionally originates from the somatic center, straight through which the psoas passes on its way to the lumbar spine. Thus, Dr. Rolf's notice of the role of the psoas in initiating walking is explained.
Interestingly, the abdominals aid walking by assisting the pelvic rotational movement described, by means of their attachments along the former border of the pelvis. Thus, the interplay of psoas and abdominals is explained.
When the psoas fails to lengthen properly, the same side of the pelvis is restricted in its potential to move backward (and to permit its other side to move forward). Co-contracted glutei minimi often accompany the contracted psoas of the same side, as does persisting constipation (for reasons described earlier). The co-contraction drags the front of the pelvis down. The lumbar spine is bent forward, tending toward a forward-leaning posture, which the extensors of the lumbar spine counter to keep the someone upright; as the spinal extensors contract, they suffer muscle fatigue and soreness. Thus, the correlation of tight psoas and back pain is explained.
As explained before, to tighten the abdominal muscles as a clarification for this stressful situation is a misguided effort. What is needed is to improve the responsiveness of the psoas and glutei minimi, which includes their potential to relax.
A final piquant note brings the town (psoas) into relation with the periphery (feet). In healthy, well-integrated walking, the feet sustain the psoas and glutei minimi in bringing the thigh forward. The phenomenon is known as "spring in the step."
Here's the description: When the thigh is farthest back, in walking, the ankle is most dorsi-flexed. That means that the calf muscles and hip flexors are at their fullest stretch and primed for the stretch (myotatic) reflex. This is what happens in well-integrated walking: assisted by the stretch reflex, the plantar flexors of the feet put spring in the step, which assists the flexors of the hip joints in bringing the thigh forward.
Here's what makes it particularly interesting: when the plantar flexors fail to rejoinder in a piquant fashion, the burden of bringing the thigh transmit falls heavily upon the psoas and other hip joint flexors, which come to be conditioned to declare a heightened state of tension, and there we are: tight psoas and back pain. (Note that ineffective dorsi-flexors of the feet prevent enough foot clearance of the ground, when walking; the hip flexors must compensate by lifting the knee higher, foremost to a similar problem.)
Thus, it appears that the accountability for problems with the psoas falls (in part, if not largely) upon the feet. No resolution of psoas problems can be incredible without allowable functioning of the lower legs and feet.
Summary
The psoas, iliacus, abdominals, spinal extensors, hip joint flexors and extensors, and flexors of the ankles/feet are all inter-related in walking movements. Interference with their interplay (generally straight through over-contraction or non-responsiveness of one or more of these "players") leads to dysfunction and to back pain. The strategy of strengthening the abdominal muscles has been shown to be a misguided exertion to definite problems that regularly lie elsewhere - which explains why, even though abdominal strengthening exercises are so popular, back pain is still so common. Sensory-motor training (somatic education) provides a more pertinent and efficient coming to the qoute of back pain than abdominal strengthening exercises.
The Psoas Muscles and Abdominal Exercises For Back Pain
