Technically, we have five main hip flexor muscles, but one of them seems to be in the spotlight much more then others – the “mighty psoas”. Psoas seems to be one of the most popular muscles; it’s been a subject of countless articles, several books and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a song about it somewhere out there. It has many nicknames: “opinionated psoas”, the “hidden prankster”, the “great pretender” and many others. It’s been claimed that the psoas is vital for physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. This love affair resulted in countless suggestions on how to access and stretch the psoas, which commonly boils down to a knee-to-the-chest type pose or a lunge of some sort. The question is though – is it always appropriate to stretch a tight psoas? And is there a difference between psoas stretching and releasing? Let’s explore.
The reason psoas is so popular is because it has many important duties. On the structural level, it is responsible for stabilizing the spine and flexing the hip. It also assists in rotating the hip outward and adducting it (moving it toward the midline). One of the most significant things about it is that it connects the legs to the spine, which means that what you do with your legs might affect your spine.
The fact that psoas has so many duties means that it can become overworked and tight.