Exercise for West Des Moines Back Pain Linked to the Iliopsoas Muscle
Ever think of your body in two parts: the upper and lower? 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 is pain. Your West Des Moines chiropractor knows well the anatomy of back pain and all the affected, connected parts. The chiropractic services at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa combine to help you control the pain so that you can return to your daily activities.
THE ILIOPSOAS MUSCLE
Can you locate your iliopsoas muscle? Know its function? If you have back pain, you might. The iliopsoas is actually a deep muscle group made up 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 hard to determine whether it is the source of pain or not, but your West Des Moines chiropractor has a few special tests to figure that out! Being the main hip flexor, a well-functioning iliopsoas is important. If it is tight or painful or hurt, treatments and exercises may help. (1) Your chiropractor at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa can help verify the involvement of the iliopsoas and set up a treatment plan to treat it and its associated pain, like West Des Moines back pain.
THE ILIOPSOAS AND BACK PAIN
When suffering with back pain, sufferers are often willing to try most anything to help! Chiropractic care helps, particularly the gentle Cox® Technic form of spinal manipulation which is part of a larger system of spinal pain management that integrates 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 revealed that PNF was more beneficial in relieving pain and improving waist function. It was also found to help pulmonary function! (2) Remember how everything is connected and the iliopsoas connects the spine with 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 was superior though both were remarkably effective for loosening the tight iliopsoas. (3) If the iliopsoas is entangled, we can go over an exercise that can help at your next visit.
CONTACT Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nike Taylor on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes the treatment of chronic back pain with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your West Des Moines chiropractic appointment now. If we discover that the iliopsoas is part of your back pain issue, we’ll connect and manage it!
