Psoas and Piriformis Exercises refers to specific physical activities or stretches designed to target and strengthen the Psoas and Piriformis muscles. Those muscles can tighten over time, pulling your pelvis forward and causing strain on lumbar spinal discs, resulting in lower back pain. The tightness in these muscles may also limit breathing, exacerbating lower back discomfort. An effective exercise to alleviate tension in the Psoas and Piriformis muscles is the seated figure-four stretch, which can be done individually or with friends for added benefits.
Lunge
The lunge is an effective lower body exercise that targets quads, glutes, adductor magnus (inner thigh), as well as challenging the hamstrings, calves and hip stabilizers. Furthermore, this movement works wonders for improving balance; plus being unilateral (training one side at a time) better simulates movements seen daily in everyday life.
To perform a basic lunge, stand with feet hip-width apart and your core engaged. Take one large step forward with both heels touching down before shifting onto forefoot in order to absorb impact from landing first on heel then forefoot. As soon as this occurs, sink into your front knee to bring your thigh parallel with ground level before pausing briefly then engaging both legs together back up before repeating on other side.
Make an effort to increase the distance of your steps for an added challenge, or add resistance using weights if desired, for greater difficulty. However, be careful to minimize patellar tendon or knee ligament load as this movement can be modified to meet individual goals and body types. Lunges are highly versatile exercises which can be tailored specifically to you – they offer endless variations for customization!
Doing a lunge from standing is possible, or you can set up a bench or box to help reach lunge positions more easily. When using a box for lunging exercises, aim for something between mid-shin and knee height; once on, step forward onto it with one leg at a time by reaching back towards it before placing that leg onto it and taking big steps with that one before bending your front knee to sink deeper into a lunge position until your front knee is just an inch or two from touching the floor – then repeat.
Stretch the hip flexors and psoas muscles by drawing your top leg towards your buttocks, an effective exercise to do after walking, running or climbing to help stretch out hip flexors and prepare them for more strenuous activities like climbing. To perform this stretch properly, lie on your back with a massage ball underneath hips on psoas muscles applying pressure for 10-20 seconds at a time until feeling relief from tension in hip flexors and psoas muscles.
Hip Flexor Stretch
Hip flexors are the muscles responsible for lifting your leg toward your body when standing, and may become tight due to prolonged sitting or other causes. Tightness in these psoas and piriformis muscles may contribute to lower back and hip pain; regular stretching and strengthening exercises may help keep them flexible.
Sitting for extended periods is one of the primary factors contributing to tight psoas and piriformis muscles, especially driving to work while sitting, sitting for eight hours at work in their chair, then watching television or browsing online for another hour before going back home and sitting down again before going to sleep (sitting again!). All that sitting can shorten and tighten hip flexors leading to tightness.
Tight psoas and piriformis muscles can limit how your leg moves when standing, which may contribute to poor posture and hip and lower back pain. Regular stretching and strengthening exercises can keep these muscles flexible and strong so they support leg movement during standing position.
As you transition out of a chair or after sitting for extended periods, this stretch can help loosen muscles that have been tight. Simply lie on your stomach and bring one knee toward your chest while crossing it over another leg forming the shape of a number four – placing your hand behind one leg may deepen this stretch further – holding for 20-30 seconds then repeat on other side.
Care must be taken when performing this exercise to prevent pulling the knee too tightly into your chest as this could put undue strain on the ligaments in your knee joint, leading to pain. Also avoid this stretching if you have experienced knee trauma or arthritis in the past.
Researchers found that increasing the length of one bout of hip-flexor stretching improved balance and proprioception measures but not isokinetic or performance parameters; this temporary change on isokinetic parameters has no lasting impact; thus leading them to recommend further study into whether hip flexor stretching has lasting impact on balance and proprioception measures.
Glute Bridge
Sitting for too much of the day can shorten and tighten both glute muscles in front of your thighs and hip flexors in front of your pelvis, leading to tight hip flexors pulling your body forward and weak glutes failing to keep you upright. Incorporating glute bridges into your routine helps address this imbalance, strengthen muscles and improve posture – improving both aspects of wellbeing.
Glute bridges work through a process known as triple extension, which involves stretching your knee, hip and ankle joints simultaneously. Certified strength-and-conditioning specialist Dane Miklaus of Irvine’s Work training studio advises SELF that this exercise is also useful for relieving back pain because strengthening lower-back muscles such as the erector spinae helps relieve pressure on your spine caused by other leg exercises like squats.
The basic glute bridge can be done using just your bodyweight, making it perfect for home or gym workouts alike. To make it more challenging, add equipment such as a bench, workout bench or barbell; rolling up a mat or using pads on the floor may make this easier to do.
To perform a basic glute bridge exercise, lie on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. While keeping arms at your sides with palms down, lift hips off of ground until they form an even line with knees, hips, shoulders. Squeeze glutes at top of movement before slowly lowering hips back down to earth for multiple repetitions of this exercise.
Are You Searching for the Ultimate Challenge with Glute Bridge Exercise? Try a single-leg variation that requires one leg bent into hip thrust position while keeping both straight. This challenge increases stability of core and glute muscles and can be performed either on a floor surface or ball.
Seated Stretch
The psoas muscle and hip flexors work closely together to keep your spine and pelvis aligned properly, so when one of them becomes tight it pulls the other off balance and causes lower back and hip discomfort; often leading to sciatic nerve pain associated with sitting for extended periods or exercise. Physical therapists, chiropractors or yoga instructors can often help release tension by suggesting some simple stretches.
One of the most beneficial exercises for strengthening and lengthening your psoas and piriformis muscles is the seated stretch. To perform it, lie on your back with legs straight in front of you. Bend one knee toward your chest until it touches the floor behind you before holding for 30 seconds before relaxing back to its original position and repeat with other leg. This seated stretching exercise strengthens your psoas muscle as well as lengthening hip flexors by improving their strength.
If your psoas muscle becomes overly tight, it will pull the lower portion of your spine forward and away from the pelvis putting an added burden on the piriformis muscle – this is why both these muscles must remain long and toned for proper performance.
Long and toned psoas muscles can help prevent your piriformis muscle from locking up and pulling the lower portion of your spine outward, placing strain on the sciatic nerve.
Your piriformis muscle could be tight due to sitting all day, which is why doctors, physiotherapists and fitness instructors recommend stretching it to help alleviate sciatic nerve pain and avoid exercise-related injuries. There are various piriformis muscle stretches; but one effective movement that aims to gently release tight iliopsoas muscles is the Iliopsoas Release movement – applying direct pressure for 30-90 seconds can help release tension from tight spots in this muscle group and loosen its hold on you. Check the video below for visual guidance:
